


Erebos

by darthregalia



Series: Erebos [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Explicit Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Science Fiction, Talking, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthregalia/pseuds/darthregalia
Summary: A renowned soldier raised under the highest status in the cluster is disgraced by the very system that had lifted him up. For him, the price of freedom is steep. Not because it is materially unattainable, but because he's just a major asshole. Sent on an unexpected resource-scouting assignment, he is given an opportunity to recover his relative autonomy by basically just not being a mean-spirited prick.Will he redeem himself by showing some basic human decency towards his two perfectly kind associates? Or will he let himself fester in permanent time-out because acting out is basically his whole personality at this point?(Work in Progress)
Series: Erebos [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042053
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Outset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WIP. Also trash

“How’s our approach vector?”

Aleka snapped to attention, rallying herself through the dazing clicks and whirs of the shuttle cockpit. “Ah, yes, sir… um,” She blinked heavily and glanced at the still blurry monitor in front of her, “Green, uh, all green, sir!” 

She straightened herself in her seat and began to wildly flip switches and swipe her fingers across various screens, silently praying that her commanding officer somehow didn’t notice her spacing out on duty. “Need to prepare for rapid deceleration. Approach in less than 10, airlocks are sound...” 

“Cadet…” 

“Plotted lane is clear, Little debris detected…”

“Cadet?” 

“Prepping to balance interior pressure for atmospheric entry…”

“Idalia!” 

Aleka silenced herself, clenched her jaw, and prepared to be chewed out. She turned to the figure seated on her left and saluted, meeting his intense gaze with her own. His expression was not one of disgust or indignation as she expected, but rather concern. His eyes shone like sunlit amber, doing nothing to disguise the worry that dominated his face. Thoroughly caught off guard, and just the slightest bit embarrassed, she sunk sheepishly back into her seat. “I’m sorry, sir.” 

The officer paused for a moment, only to let out a soft, yet hearty chuckle. “So is our approach actually green or were you just covering your ass?” 

“Oh, right, umm...” After taking some deep breaths, Aleka once again checked the monitor, extra carefully this time. “Yes, our trajectory is clear. At least… I think it was before I pushed all those buttons.” 

“Well,” he motioned to her side of the cabin, pointing to the flashing red lights that began appearing on many of the controls, “I hope you remember what exactly it was that you pushed.”

The momentary relief she had was swiftly replaced with panic once more. She swept her eyes frantically across the controls before her, trying to retrace her steps as more and more warnings and error messages flooded the room. She could still feel her instructor watching her movements, no doubt disappointed at her incredible screw-up. Over several minutes, Aleka cursed at herself as she tried to recall the names of each switch, and the functions of each dial, desperate to make at least one of the beeping lights go away for her efforts. “Everything is in the right position! Why is it still yelling at me?” 

She flopped herself back to her chair, having resigned herself to her failure. “Actually,” the commander reached for the large handle in the center of the console, “it looks like you missed one.”

He pulled the handle back ever so slightly and the lights and beeps quickly faded, filling the cabin with the very familiar clicks and whirs once more. The harsh red tones vanished from every surface, except Aleka’s face. “W-was that..? How did..?” She stammered but could find no grasp on words. 

“Yeah, you brushed past the accelerator while you were…” He paused, choosing his next words carefully, “Flailing.” 

Still struggling with verbal communication, the only sound Aleka’s voice could produce was a single soft, high-pitched tone. Clearly regretting the poor phrasing of his previous statement, the officer quickly began offering some attempts at encouragement. “That’s not to say that you didn’t do a great job at correcting the errors! In fact, you reset every other node and switch to its original position quite fast.” 

Finally beginning to get a hold of her speech, she managed to stutter out a confused response, “T-then how did I manage to miss the blindingly obvious thing that was the entire cause of the problem, to begin with?” 

“Well, you remembered everything you had intentionally pushed. Can’t be expected to include every accidental thing you didn’t even notice you did while retracing your steps.” He shrugged, taking a moment to more carefully orient his next words.

“Also, when you’ve got a bunch of big blinking error messages all over your workspace,” he pushed the accelerator handle back forward slightly, reigniting the many terrifying lights and noises, “it’s often best to, y’know, read them.” 

Upon actually taking the time to examine the errors, Aleka realized that every light contained a banner of text, not only plainly stating the acceleration was too high for their planned path, but also the steps to take to rectify the problem. “Ah.” She dropped her head into her hands, “Good to know”

“Hey, look on the bright side, you made us early!” He smiled at her warmly and reached for the intercom and spoke into it, “We’ll be arriving an hour ahead of schedule, Major, so it's time to go over the brief one more time because I _know_ you didn’t internalize it the first time.” 

The commander’s bright expression fell more quickly for each moment there was no response from the intercom. “Major?” he asked again to no avail, clearly growing more irritated by the second. “Idalia?” his voice was soft, holding back very visible frustration, “Could you just take a little peek into the hold and see what our fine Major Gradum is up to back there?” 

“Of course, Colonel.” Aleka stood up confidently, more than pleased that the spotlight of negative attention was finally off of her. She strode back to the door of the cockpit and peered through the porthole, spotting a lone figure sprawled out on a bench at the far starboard end of the hold. “He’s, uh… asleep, sir.” 

“I _knew_ it!” the Colonel barked in rage, slamming his fist on the console in front of him, “Every time! Every _single_ time with you!” He spun around in his chair and stood up in fury, only to see a very startled Cadet before him. Realizing his overreaction, he slowly lowered himself back into his seat in shame, “Would you do me a favor, and go… retrieve the Major?” 

Aleka simply nodded. She had only known the Colonel as a sincere, comforting presence. She was certainly not eager to engage with whatever it was about this Major that could so easily set off such an impossibly well-tempered officer. She crept into the hold, slowly closing the distance between herself and the sleeping figure. “Get up, you asshole!” The Colonel’s voice boomed over the intercom directly above the unresponsive Major, prompting only a small, dismissive groan. 

“Ugh, call back when we _actually_ get there, would ya?” The Major griped, “Then you can give me the two-sentence version so I can forget it faster.” He groggily reached up and limply smacked the mute button on the still-irate Colonel. 

Still not having noticed Aleka’s approach, he rolled over onto his side, now facing away from her entirely. Less than a foot away now, she examined the dozing Major. Though the bodysuit he wore seemed fairly simple at a distance, up close she could see that it was covered in small ports and rails. She recognized that this was a standard-issue suit that allowed users to attach gear and weapons, but this observation certainly didn’t help soothe her nerves. She was expected to do anything to wake up a very belligerent, possibly violent superior? All she could do was take a deep breath and shout in her best impression of her Colonel. “Major!”

This seemed to catch his attention, as he slowly rolled back over to meet the challenge, “Sam, I know you love the big military bro thing,” His eyelids finally lifted, revealing surprisingly pleasant eyes very similar to the Colonel’s, ”but do you _really_ have to use rank for every…” Now realizing who he was talking to, the Major shot up off of the bench, covering much of his face with his scraggly dark hair. 

“Rise and shine, Major!” the Colonel bellowed from the cockpit.

“Vima!” The Major continued to back away from the Cadet that woke him, “What’s this kid doing here?” 

“Thought that would get your attention,” the Colonel laughed, “Get your ass up here, and maybe you’ll find out.”

The Major’s attention was still on the cockpit behind Aleka, allowing her to peer past the mess of hair that now covered the top of his face. Somehow, the warmth of his once honey-brown eyes was gone completely, and they now shone in an inhumanly pale blue. She leaned in closer to try to get a better look at this anomaly, but he quickly noticed her studying him and brushed past her to contend with the hollering Colonel in the cabin. 

“The hell, Sam?” The Major’s tone was hushed but still sharp, “You’re taking children into the field now?” 

“First of all,” the Colonel turned and pointed to Aleka over his associate’s shoulder, “As it currently stands, the presence of this ‘child’ is none of your concern, and will not be until you cool it and get properly briefed.” He gestured towards a small bench near the back wall of the room. “Have a seat, _Major_.”

The ship grew deafeningly silent as the two remained motionless for ten agonizing seconds, until eventually, the Colonel’s angry scowl fell, “Caden, please.” 

Letting out a low growl, the Major lumbered over to the bench and slowly sat himself down, still not breaking eye contact for the entire trip. He pulled one knee up to his chest and smiled mockingly, “Happy?” 

“Not the word I’d use…” the Colonel groaned and ran his hands through his short auburn hair, “Well, now that everyone is present, I think it's time for some introductions, hmm?” He looked back into the hold and beckoned Aleka to return to the cabin. Once she took her seat, the deafening silence retook the compartment, as she noticed her two superiors were once again locked in an epic battle of glares. 

“Alright, I guess I’ll start, then.” The Colonel huffed, “This is Aleka Idalia, a truly exceptional Cadet from the Academy on Motus. Proficiency scores are higher than most people that are fully employed by…”

“Uh-huh, yup,” The Major waved his hand and looked to face Aleka, “Hey, Aleka, how old are you again?” 

“Oh, umm…” For the first time, both officers had their full attention trained on her, “Six… I’m, uh, I’ll be seventeen pretty soon, sir…”

“Wow, sixteen, huh?” The Major jeered as his eyes once again met the Colonel’s, “Damn, that totally puts my mind at ease. Completely changes everything. Thank you for that. Hey, ‘ _you are sixteen going on seventeen_ ,’ eh, V?” 

More long silence. Aleka promptly curled herself into a small embarrassed ball in her seat in the vain hope that she would disappear entirely. 

“Right…” The Colonel sighed and pulled up a document on a screen in front of him, clearly desperate to get on with the mission, “Just, just... this is Major Caden Gradum, he’s our field operative for this assignment along with your commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Vima. Which… would be me, actually.” He skimmed his eyes down the length of the brief, “This is a reconnaissance mission, strictly gathering information… Non-combat… partially disciplinary... “

“Ugh, lame.” The Major crossed his arms and sank into his seat with a frown.

“There it is!” The Colonel stopped his skimming to read a portion in detail, “Cadet Aleka Idalia is permitted to join in an educational capacity: gaining field experience through observation, and especially direct tutoring from any present officers.” 

While the Major continued his grumbling and laid down on the bench in boredom, Aleka sat back up in surprise, “Uh, tutoring, sir?”

“That’s right.” The Colonel grinned, “Major Gradum and I will be personally instructing you in the protocols and procedure of resource and fuel scouting.” 

“Whyyyyy?” Major Gradum had begun to bash his head into the seat in anguish. 

“Unless…” 

“Unless?” He lifted his head from the bench, no doubt eager at the prospect of an exception to these orders.

“I _could_ give you some breathing room on this assignment. Maybe write a good report in favor of your noteworthy teaching ability.” The Colonel shrugged and shook his head, “Could even recommend to the General that your remaining six months of disciplinary measures be dropped.” 

“Why do you raise my hopes like this, V? Just to crush them?”

“And to think that all you’d have to do…” the Colonel strolled over to the lazing Major, “Is drop some of the attitude…” The Colonel’s usual inflection was gone, and the voice of a pissed off drill instructor flooded the room as he lurked over his subordinate, “And behave like a functional goddamn _ad-ult!_ ” 

“Ugh,” The Major slid off the bench and flopped face-first onto the floor, “Name your terms, oh wise and powerful Drill Sergeant.” 

“All I ask,” His voice lowered to a near-whisper as he bent down over the prone Major, “Is for just a little less belligerence, _and_ …” He gestured towards Aleka, “For our fine Cadet here to learn just enough of that classic Gradum style that makes you our very finest field operative.” 

“Whoa, back up, how much behaving are we talking here?” The Major mumbled through the floor. 

“15% of a normal person.”

The Major scoffed, “C’mon, Sam, be serious. 8%.”

“12.”

“10!” 

“Really?!” The Colonel threw his hands in the air in a rage, “You’re fighting over two measly percent?!” 

“That's correct.” As the Major lifted his head to sneer at the looming Colonel, his eyes were drawn to a very disheartened Aleka at the other end of the cabin. His expression was overtaken by remorse, “Fine, 10% and I’ll teach the kid some of the extra cool shit.” 

“Alright,” This gave the Colonel some pause. He pondered for a moment as a smirk crept across his face, “But only if this ‘cool shit’ includes your prized ‘Comity Breach.’”

The Major rolled over onto his back with a scowl, “I don’t teach combat techniques to children, Sam. ‘Specially not that one.” Upon meeting the Colonel’s glare, he sighed and returned to his former position in defeat, “If there’s time.” 

“Deal. Very good, Major!” The Colonel then turned and nodded approvingly to Aleka, who found herself thoroughly confused. 

“Uh, the ‘Comedy Breach?’” 

The Major’s voice rang out in a long, muffled groan. The Colonel could barely contain his laughter, “Heh, I knew you’d say that.” He cleared his throat to regain his composure, “Well, for starters, and for the sake of our poor Major’s pride, it’s ‘comity.’ ‘Cah-muh- _tee_ .’ And no, Major Gradum did _not_ think about how that sounds when spoken out loud before proudly declaring it his ‘finishing move.’” He chuckled as the miserable man on the ground began to smash his head against the floor, “Oh, but don’t worry. It’s strictly non-lethal. Just like all of Grad’s ‘signatures.’” 

“Oh, okay, good.” Aleka breathed a sigh of relief but still found herself with more questions, “Wait. How… how exactly do you know each other so well?” 

“Why, I’m glad you asked, Idalia.” The grin on the Colonel’s face beamed through the cockpit as he began the vessel’s deceleration, “Would you believe that we were brought up together? Suppose you could even call us brothers.” 

“Ah,” Aleka started to put the pieces together in her mind, “That would explain the hostility…” Before she could continue the thought, the shuttle lurched as it suddenly slowed, and the visage of a planet appeared through the front viewscreen. 

“Finally!” The Major was back on his feet in an instant, “Welp! As fun as this little chat has been, I’m gonna go get suited up and…” 

“You don’t even know why we’re here yet!” The Colonel boomed. 

“Yeah, yeah, fuel scouting and some other baby stuff.” He sprinted into the hold and turned a small switch on the wall, which revealed an entire wall covered in assorted gadgets and attachments. “Did that shit when I was even younger than _her_.” 

“At least give her a rundown on your equipment loadout! We’re about to hit the atmosphere.” 

“She’d better hurry, then!” 

Aleka clumsily leaped out of her seat, just catching herself on the doorway to the hold with a grunt. The Major was busily suiting up, rapidly attaching various devices and armor plates to the many ports on his previously unadorned bodysuit. Without even acknowledging her, he started to list off the equipment at a nearly unintelligible rate, “Hard-fuel jump-jets, solid-light personal shields, some shitty food… Ah, my one and only…” He stopped for a moment to admire what looked like the hilt of a very broken broadsword, the blade itself stopped at a flat edge less than six inches from the pommel. 

“Five minutes from the LZ!” 

The Major snapped back to attention and slung the bizarre weapon over his shoulder, which promptly folded itself up and adhered to the center of his back. Now in even more of a rush, he hurriedly began to secure more and more layers of protective plating to his suit, “And finally, three extra-cozy layers of only the chunkiest armor around!” He quickly spun in place to show off his new metal coating to Aleka as he flicked the switch to the armory back to its original position. 

“Four minutes! We’re about to enter the atmosphere.” 

The Major approached the doorway Aleka was braced against, his face still beaming, “Oh, sorry I forgot one...” He pointed to the console on the wall just to the left of the entrance, and a narrow wire tipped with a small circular object burst forth from the top of his left forearm. With a jolt, the door to the cabin slammed shut and locked, nearly knocking the nearby Cadet to her feet. Very familiar alarm bells began to sound as the wall on the opposing end of the hold gave way to shafts of natural light. 

“He’s opening the rear doors!” Aleka shrieked and shielded her eyes from the light blasting through the window. She turned desperately to the Colonel, “While we’re still airborne?!”

The Colonel gave no reply. He only bowed his head and began to mumble to himself, “Ohhh, I’m gonna kill him.”

“Alright, kid,” The Major called, “Sammy wanted you to learn the cool shit…” He backed up towards the open bay doors. The wind whipped through his hair, unveiling a set of brilliant blue eyes that crackled with more intensity than any of the rays that now flooded the hold. Now mere feet from the edge, he pointed to the terrified Cadet one last time, “Hope you’re takin’ notes!” He turned, dropped into a sprint, and leaped into the blinding abyss with open arms and a joyful howl. 

“Yup, today’s the day. I am _going_ to kill him.”


	2. Inertia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inertia is a property of matter

As his feet left the boarding ramp, Gradum’s entire reality slowed to a crawl. This was far from the first time he’d pulled a jump like this, but it was certainly the least prepared he’d been beforehand. He’d usually try to at least check the mission brief in secret to get a vague idea of the atmospheric conditions and local topography before an assignment. Not this time. 

“Woohoooo!” He saw the world beneath him, a dense cloud cover masking the terrain below. Whatever the surface was like down there, he hoped it was as soft as the grey masses that hid it. 

Having reached the top of his dive, gravity began to take effect, pulling his body towards the terrifying unknown below. He was completely alone, with no one to reprimand him. No one to make requests of him. No one to help him. That is until he reached the ground. 

Gradum’s fall was accelerating, blasting his face with more than enough wind to blind an average person. Several warnings emerged from the corners of his vision, obscuring his once tranquil view with a full head-up-display. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head violently, dispelling the disruptive graphics immediately. The drop had only just begun, and he wasn’t about to let some pesky ocular implants throw off his groove. 

For a few moments, it was rather peaceful. The air around him wailed as he drove through it like a knife, drowning out any intrusive doubts or fears he might’ve had. He was in freefall, and there was nothing to be done about it. It was just Gradum and an increasingly defiant sky, which had finally begun to show its teeth to this incoming invader. 

The once thrilling friction on his face rapidly ramped up in intensity as he descended, bringing incredible heat in its wake. No longer enjoying the facial sensations of his fall, Gradum held his left arm in front of him and pressed a small button on the underside of his ring finger. From his forearm sprung a hollow, oblong outline of silver light nearly five feet in length. The glowing outline quickly filled in with much thinner lines across the entire span of the frame, resulting in a triangular lattice of solid-light. No sooner had the shield been erected than the scorching atmosphere reached its peak, igniting the rigid projection with a fearsome orange blaze. 

“Hoo! Close one!” Gradum felt the rest of his bulky suit similarly ignite, but, so long as the human bits underneath were still uncharred, he was content. Still, the resistance he faced was significantly fiercer than any of his past jumps from even higher altitudes. Even with the bulk of his armor and the crystalline shield defending his bare head, he was still being thoroughly roasted. The warning messages once again crowded his vision, screaming at the scorched Major to properly cover his head and attempt to slow his descent. Just when he was beginning to seriously consider obliging his suit’s sensors, the chill set in. 

All at once the fiery streaks completely subsided, as did all of the wind and heat that came with it. For a few seconds, the peace returned, and Gradum sighed in relief and dispelled the shield, assuming the worst was finally behind him. He pushed another button, this time on his lower left palm, causing the outermost layer of his seared armor to pop off of him, leaving him feeling like he was just doing some good old-fashioned skydiving. Or he did, at least, before he glanced at his HUD and realized that not only was he still less than halfway to the surface, but his velocity had also more than tripled in the mere seconds since the flames had vanished. 

His fall was nearly silent now, with no wind or air resistance to slow his body as he plunged into the cloudy depths below. Very close to losing his nerve, the sight of clouds brought Gradum hope that this bout of no air pressure was only temporary, and the puffy masses could slow him down just enough to execute his landing strategy, “Please be a planet of just clouds. Please, please, please!” These hopes were promptly crushed when he passed through the fluffy guardians, revealing the cragged black stones that suddenly flooded every corner of his vision. The clouds had lied to him. 

“ _Fuck_.” Gradum’s soul left his body, and only pure instinct remained. He flexed his eyelids and a metal visor emerged from his collar and enclosed around his face with a clink. Time for the landing strategy. 

He twisted in midair, flipping himself over horizontally and pointing his body parallel to the jagged ground below. Once he was roughly angled at the horizon, he squeezed his thumbs against the center segments of his middle fingers. Jets of flame erupted from his back and calves, pushing him slowly forward and slightly halting his descent. Gradum eyed the gauges on his HUD closely; what came next would take the utmost precision. As the surface grew closer he ramped up the intensity on the jets, and soon he was close to outspeeding his fall completely. He peeked over his shoulder to check his positioning, only to see a patch of molten rock mere meters away from his backside. 

“Shiiiit!” He pulled his torso forward and slammed on the buttons for the jets, propelling him sideways and pushing him up just enough to miss the hazard by only a few feet. “Ha ha! Suck it, clouds!” Still facing the sky, Gradum took the opportunity to flip the double bird to the heavens, requiring him to release the jump-jets’ controls and causing him to dip slightly, “Ahh! Right! Don’t do that!” 

He turned over onto his front and began to survey the terrain below. The horizon was barren, save for a few massive mountains, each discharging a steady supply of fresh slag with great speed. Flares of lava flowed over large heaps of black stone, streaming down past him into countless deposits of basalt. “Alright, textbook lava place. Huh, it’s flowing _downhill_ . At least _something_ makes sense here,” Gradum’s eyes widened, recognizing the implications of this fact, He looked up at what was ahead, spying an immense volcanic ridge directly in front of him, “Oh, fuck me!” 

He jerked himself back onto his back and pointed himself as upright as he could manage, gaining as much height as possible. The ridge was fast approaching. Nearing the peak, he pushed the propulsion system to its limit, narrowly avoiding the sharp edge with inches to spare. Gradum looked back at the hill he had conquered, letting out an accomplished whoop and returned to his surveying position, shortly before he was smacked in the face by dozens of tiny, thin objects. 

“Whoa! Goddamn _trees_ now?! How the...” Deciding it was past time he should follow through on the actual _landing_ part of the landing strategy, Gradum spun himself around and directed his jump-jets against the direction he was traveling. Between the momentum from the jets and the branches bashing into his body, he began to reduce his speed relatively quickly, and soon he could no longer even stay airborne. He dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, stretching his arms out and leaning back desperately to keep his balance as he skidded across the dirt. The jets wailed as they strained against the wake of turf building up against them. After many tense seconds, Gradum finally screeched to a halt. Full of triumphant glee, he dispelled his visor, looked into the heavens and, arms still outstretched, struck a majestic, bird-like pose, “Fuck you, clouds! Eat my _whole_ ass!” 

A stifled giggle sounded off just to his right, cutting through his solitude. His face grew hot as he turned to meet the noise, spotting a large cargo shuttle no more than thirty feet away parked in a small empty patch of dirt. Just in front of the vessel stood two figures, both of very different size and stature. The shortest figure was dressed in a simple navy blue military trainee uniform, complete with light blue facings and single clasp securing the single breast of the tunic to the left shoulder, resulting in a clean asymmetrical design. Her taller counterpart possessed a far larger build: fit in a dark silver bodysuit very similar to Gradum’s, but topped with a very formal, white, single-breasted officer’s jacket. The jacket stretched against his frame, straining against the excessive muscle mass of his upper body and daring to blast the officer’s bars off of his chest. Gradum’s heart dropped at the sight of the emblems, further confirming the identity of the unmistakably recognizable man before him. 

“Enjoy your flight, Major?” Colonel Vima snickered cheerfully, leaning against the vessel with his arms crossed. Idalia was next to him, standing at attention and desperately trying not to burst out laughing as well, shaking the few loose strands of hair that were left uncontained from the uncomfortably tight bun on her head. 

Gradum groaned and flopped onto his back in shame, silently cursing the hoards of condensed water vapor that had betrayed him. He knew Vima would be taking a full inventory of supplies and fuel before even attempting a second brief, so he figured he could wring out a couple more minutes of quiet solitude before suffering the indignity of being told things. 

“Excellent!” Vima clapped his hands merrily, “Now we can get on with the intel phase.” 

“Good one, V!” Gradum crossed his legs and rested his hands behind his head, “Did you check all the ammo cartridges for chipped corners yet?” 

He chuckled to himself as he settled in, recalling pleasant memories of fiddling with the ammunition blocks so they’d take longer to catalog. He would have his minute of peace, one way or another. Just then he felt a small object hit his midsection, and he looked down and saw an armor plate matching the type he wore around his calves lying delicately on his stomach. Gradum only had a short moment to be perplexed by his before the air was shredded by an explosion of sound and the feeling of something sharply impacting his lower leg. 

Closing his visor once more, Gradum kicked off the ground and rolled backward over his head before he leaped to his feet and grabbed the broadsword on his back. As soon as the handle was snug in his hand, the fat, flattened end of the block of metal split apart and erupted, throwing shards of itself forward before fusing together into a shining blade just over five feet in length. The blade began to flicker down the center of the fuller, crackling with tiny bolts of purple and growling with spite. He struck a wide stance and gripped the handle of the bitter weapon with both hands, the pommel lifted near his face to aim the point in the direction of the gunshot. Once he was solid in this stance, he examined his surroundings, spotting his attacker instantly. 

“I’m glad you’re so concerned about ammunition, Major.” Vima inspected the smoking pistol in his right hand intently, nodding as he clicked various mechanisms into place, “Yes, looks like our ammo stores are working just fine.” 

Idalia was crouched next to him with her eyes closed tight and her hands covering her ears, clearly having not been fully on board with the Colonel’s decision beforehand. If she hadn’t been so close, Gradum might have attacked him right then. 

“The fuck, Sam?!” He dropped from his combat stance and gestured wildly towards the cowering Cadet, “You demonstrating live friendly fire drills for the child soldier or something?!” He turned his attention to the handgun his brother was holding, recognizing the model immediately, “Wait, where did you..?”

“Oh, would you look at that? The Major has recovered!” Vima tapped Idalia’s shoulder, prompting her to rise back to her feet sheepishly, “Now we can finish the brief!” 

They both walked to a wide, circular metal table not far from the shuttle, leaving Major Gradum to stew in his discontent. He lumbered towards the nearest tree and slammed his forehead on the trunk, “Hooo, I’m gonna kill him.” He stared into his reflection in his sword, the indignation crackling in his eyes was fully visible through his visor. He paused for a moment to let the irritation peak, then roared as he slashed at the tree with a brutal backhanded stroke, unleashing a sharp wave of violet sparks that cleaved through several trees beyond the initial one. He sighed in satisfaction as the sounds of snapping branches and collapsing bark filled his ears, then turned away and strode back towards his associates. 

The two were already seated at the briefing table, with Vima hard at work on a datapad gathering intel for the meeting, while Idalia sat across from him and similarly swiped across her own pad, peeking hesitantly at the Colonel and copying his movements. She was so out of her depth it was almost funny. 

“How’s the leg?” Vima didn’t even look up from his pad. 

Gradum glanced down at the tiny, smoking dent in the plating on his left calf and huffed, “You’re a terrible shot.” He reached for the pistol laying on the table next to Vima, “I’ll have that back now.”

Before he could grab it, Vima picked it up and began to examine it once more, “Annette’s not really hitting like she used to, eh? When was the last time you got her _properly_ looked at?” 

“Think it was sometime after they put that pole in your ass. Makes sense that you’re such a shitty thief, too.” Gradum extended his hand, “Give it.” 

“You left it in the armory. Not my fault you’re negligent.” Vima stood up to meet his eye level, placing the gun in his brother’s hand and pulling their faces close together, “And you know if I wanted to do more than just a dent, I’d have done it.” 

Another staring contest. After some familiar uncomfortable silence, Gradum pouted and tugged on the gun held between them, “ _Gim_.”

Vima smiled and released the weapon, sitting back down to return to his work, “Alright, get comfy everybody. Brief time!” 

Idalia noticeably perked up and began to aimlessly swipe on her screen with renewed vigor. Sliding the recovered pistol into a magnetic spot just above his waist, Gradum stomped over to a chair on the far end of the circle and fell into it with a sigh. There was no more putting it off: it was time to suffer. He leaned back, propped his feet on the edge, and set about tending to his smoking armor. Despite his earlier insult, at first glance he could tell his brother’s shot had been placed very particularly. The slug had impacted the very edge of the plate, squeezing the material against his shin and causing it to cling to his leg like a wet sock. This would take more than a small effort to remove, ensuring he stuck around for long enough for the meeting to wrap up. 

“Sneaky bastard…” Gradum muttered under his breath as he eyed his assailant’s smug grin from the corner of his vision. 

“For starters,” Vima tossed a small pad into the center of the table and it projected a holographic image of a large sphere, “This planet’s environment is wrecked.” 

“Yeah, I couldn’t tell.” Gradum mumbled while fiddling with the misshapen plate on his leg, prompting two very sour stares in his direction, “Right. Not helping.” 

“As I was saying,” Vima huffed and tapped away on his work surface, causing various highlights and colors to pop up across the image, “This whole world’s environment is bizarre. Was first charted about twenty years ago and used to be a pretty standard Earth-like, but there’s been nonsensical climate and terrain changes recently. Not the least of which, as you may have noted, is the massive volcanic mountain range that sprung up in the middle of an equatorial forest.” 

“Uh-huh, atmosphere’s fucked, too.” Gradum applied a small blowtorch to his damaged armor and pointed at the pillowy traitors overhead, “Pressure randomly dropped to basically nothing at some point near lava land, and I know you know why.” 

“Two excellent observations, Major! We’ll get there in a moment, but first, a rundown on the broad strokes of the cause.” The Colonel motioned to the Cadet to his right, “Aleka?” 

She jumped at the sound of her name and stood up to launch a presentation of her own, “At some point in the past five years, Detempus appears to have suffered an impact of some sort at this region.” A red circle appeared on the hologram near the center of the sphere, “At nearly the direct opposite side of the planet, tectonic activity increased exponentially, resulting in both the atmospheric disturbances and the volcanic landscape near our current location. The site of the suspected impact is extremely harsh and has proven impervious to any visual or penetrating scans, leading us to believe that whatever is left there is extremely radioactive in nature.” She paused and took her eyes off of the pad in her hand, growing extremely self-conscious from the reactions of her superiors. 

Gradum was astonished. This kid could barely complete a sentence before and now all of a sudden she’s giving even better briefs than a seasoned officer? Unable to find words, he turned his head to his brother, who wore the most insufferable grin of approval and praise that most children could only dream of receiving from a parent or teacher. 

“I, uh…” Aleka’s face grew deathly pale as she stiffened herself to stand at attention and salute, “That was… umm, that is all. Oh, _sir_! That is all, sir!” 

Vima somehow looked even more proud of her now, “Excellent work, Cadet! At ease.” She stumbled back into her seat and curled into a little ball, only letting her eyes just peek out over her knees. 

Finally recovering his vocabulary, Gradum found a new source of confusion, “Wait, ‘Detempus?’ I didn’t pay a crazy amount of attention in map-ology or whatever but I do remember this being ‘Lentus.’”

“It’s funny you mention that, Major,” Vima returned to his datapad, his face still beaming, “It was reclassified when the anomaly was discovered and was similarly renamed by the General shortly after your… disciplinary hearing.“ 

“What? Why? I know Latin is his shit, but what does that even...” Gradum stopped as he dug through memories of agonizing Old Earth Language lessons, knowing that the General did so love referring to such things to name anything and everything he could. He quickly decoded the name, “Out-time? No…” He felt a hot wash of anger come over his face, “Time out?! He named it time out! He seriously renamed an entire _goddamn planet_ just to fuck with me?!” 

A slight chuckle came from Vima as Gradum scalded himself with the blowtorch, causing him to lose even more of his temper. “It was your idea, wasn’t it? That man doesn’t have a single playful wrinkle in that thick fucking skull of his.” He stood up and advanced towards Vima, whose smile slowly began to fade as the tantrum continued, “He taught us all that useless shit just so he could pull stuff like this, didn’t he? Just you and the big man finding all kinds of new ways to fuck with me to this very day!” 

His brother’s face continued to fall at an increasing rate. “That’s enough.” 

“Was it the crash? Is that why? Cuz you have absolutely _no right_ to be as pissed about that as I do. I recall the fucking General doing jack-shit after-”

“ _Sit. Down._ ” The Colonel commanded through gritted teeth. 

Gradum continued his advance, only stopping when he heard the sound of a meager cough from nearby. Turning his attention away from Vima, he spotted Idalia still curled up in a ball and urgently clearing her throat. 

“Sorry, I… ugh, I swallowed wrong…” She hacked and pressed on her chest. 

All of his anger turned to disbelief. Where did they find this girl? 

“You good, kid?” 

“Yup! _Ack!_ Fine!” She unfurled her body, reached under her chair, grabbed a small container, and drank from it. 

He looked back to Vima, whose expression had similarly lost its rage and been replaced with… remorse? His empathy kicked in as well, and Gradum quietly returned to his seat and resumed his repairs. 

Once Idalia’s coughing subsided, she smiled meekly and gave a nervous thumbs up. Vima smiled back and nodded gently, “Alright, well I might as well skip to the important bits now.”

The projection flashed red and hundreds of tiny circles appeared on the surface, “This is just a rough estimate of the empty pockets in the atmosphere. Intel was a little fuzzy on this, but we’ve got a sneaking suspicion on the ‘why,’ not so much on the ‘how.’ As Gradum so… _eloquently_ noted earlier, these areas are generally located above pockets of thicker cloud covers than usual. And if you see any giant holes in the clouds, keep a rebreather handy. Hard to say how much oxygen you’ll be getting in a pit of no air.” 

“Speaking of ‘the why,’” Gradum grunted as the charred piece finally came free from his leg, “You gonna get to the part where you tell me why exactly we’re here? Thought you said this was a resource scouting op. Sounds to me like we’re here to look at birds and bring some rocks home.” 

He paused to let out a loud sigh and gripped his temples for a moment, “And that brings us to the fun part…”

The circles blinked and merged into one over the suspected impact site, then stretched through the diameter of the sphere until it hit the other side, “As Idalia referenced earlier, the suspected impact site is directly on the opposite side of the planet based on our current location. Regardless of if this was an asteroid or not, there’s definitely something unusual hiding in that area. Scans are overloaded with garbage data if they even detect anything at all.” 

“And?” Gradum began to connect the plate provided to him by Vima earlier, “That’s not an answer.” 

“All I can tell you,” Vima frowned as his eyes fell back to his pad, “Is that if any notable raw materials are discovered during this expedition, they are to be cataloged and, if at all possible, collected for future use. That is all.” 

“You didn’t-” 

“Any questions?” 

Gradum shook his head: he’d heard this act before, “Oooo! I do! Hey, Idalia, would you mind checking the ammo blocks again? I think some of them might’ve gotten blown around when I opened the bay doors earlier.” 

“Oh, I, uh…” Aleka stood up at the sound of her orders, the very first she’d received from the Major himself, “Yes, sir.” She looked back to the Colonel for a moment before strolling towards the shuttle. 

Once she was out of sight, Gradum left his casual sitting position and leaned forward to address his brother with a harsh whisper, “You brought a cadet to a classified op?!” 

Vima scowled and slid the datapad over to him, “This look classified to you, Grad?” 

He skimmed across the text, finding that the two of them had read the brief almost word for word. His eyes grew wide, “Oooooo, all the way from the big man himself?” 

“Excuse me?” Vima’s expression contorted with faux outrage. 

“God, your poker face sucks. The one thing he forgot to teach us, huh?” Gradum shook his head and slid the pad back across the table, “This whole assignment is off the record, isn’t it? I know how this shit works, V. He briefed you in private and then just copy-pasted a generic mission objective, right?” 

Vima huffed and crossed his arms defiantly, but there was pain behind his eyes, “What do you want me to say, Grad? That doc is all I’ve got.” 

“Fine, sure, whatever. Now, back to my first question: why’d you bring the kid? Doesn’t look like she can even function properly when she’s _not_ on a super-secret probably-dangerous mission or whatever this is.” 

“If you must know,” Vima was still trying to appear commanding, but there was clear doubt in his expression, “Cadet Idalia is an outstanding student with an incredible career ahead of her. However, she has some… _complications_ that prevent her from entering the field regularly. This was all that could be arranged in her class’s timeframe.” 

“And that’s it?” 

“I believe she can speak for herself, Caden. Why don’t _you_ ask her about it?” 

Gradum’s thin patience was really being tested now, “I don’t want her fuckin’ life story. I want you to quit with the vague deflect-y shit and give me something to work with here.” 

Vima’s veneer of authority finally wore down, and a shameful grimace overtook his face, “That's all I have for you, at the moment. I know this is all rather suspicious, but I only have one… _personal_ request of you.” 

Caught off guard by this sudden and inexplicable display of sincerity from his brother, Gradum sighed and propped his feet back up, desperately trying to ignore the lump that was forming in his throat, “And that would be?” 

“All I want is for Aleka’s first major ghosting assignment to go as smoothly as possible. She has so much potential, but she just can’t get out in the field very often. I want her to have all the opportunities she can get. I figured you’d have a better idea of how to make someone her age more comfortable during this assignment.” 

“I mean…” Shocked at the unusual display of emotion towards him, Gradum rubbed his neck nervously to avoid meeting his brother’s pleading gaze, “I guess I’ve got some general pointers, but nothing too… hey wait,” His brain paused as it began to process the words behind the emotions, “You callin’ me childish?!” 

“No, no! I…” Vima thought for just a moment, “Actually, yes. I suppose I was.” He saw Gradum’s glare and shrugged defensively, “What? Am I wrong? Thought that was your whole thing.” 

Gradum felt warmth build in his cheeks, “Whatever. Nevermind.” He waved his hand dismissively, “Anyway, first thing is: maybe drop the military callsign thing? Crazy how getting called by your actual name casually can ease the nerves.” 

“Yes, I know the feeling. What else?” 

“Well, it definitely wouldn’t hurt if-“ 

“I checked all the… oh!” Aleka suddenly appeared from just around the corner of the shuttle, snapping to attention when she noticed her two superiors were still talking, “Sorry for the interruption, sirs!”

The brothers exchanged a knowing look. The secret meeting was over. 

“Excellent timing, Aleka.” Vima’s familiar hearty smile returned to his face as he gestured to his associate, “I believe there are some things Caden would like to tell you.” 

“Uhhh…” Her eyes darted between them, unsure of who to address first. 

Gradum reclaimed his aloof demeanor and rolled his eyes, “Ugh, let’s get this over with. Just sit down. ” 

She marched to her chair and took a seat. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap with her shoulders as stiff as possible, affixing her stare into the empty distance ahead of her. 

“Like a normal human, please? Jesus, we’re not gonna court marshall you for a slumped shoulder, kid.” 

Her face began to burn red as she sunk into her seat, aiming her empty stare into her lap. Vima cleared his throat, directing Gradum to meet his best disappointed face. 

“Alright, too much. I get it.” He threw up his hands in concession, “On that note, I’ll keep this short. Got some ground rules for ya.” 

Aleka looked up from her shame, her face contorted in confusion, “Ground rules?” 

“Yup. Rule number one: no filters. None of that “speak when spoken to” BS.” 

Gradum glanced at Vima, who nodded approvingly, “That’s right.”

“Same with the callsigns. Call us whatever you want. We’re big kids: we can take it. You wanna call me a modern Olympian? Sure, why not? Wanna call Sam a sour tightass? Go for it.” 

“Wait, what?” 

“See? He gets it.” Gradum clapped his hands mockingly and turned back to Aleka, “Basically, just chill the fuck out a little bit? Like, stop with the standing at attention thing. Also, the _sitting_ at attention, which I didn’t even know was a thing until just now.” 

She looked back down in embarrassment, “But, what if… what if I just… like sitting like this?” 

Another death glare from Vima. Gradum shrugged and tried to save himself, “I mean, yeah if you feel like it. That’s the point. Like if you…uh…” He lost his example quickly. He always hated explaining orders to subordinates for this very reason, “Argh! Alright, in short, just do whatever as long as it isn’t explicitly stupid. Got it?” 

“Umm… yeah, okay. I think I can do that.” Aleka’s expression softened. She seemed slightly more at ease already. 

“Wonderful! Sounds like we’re good then.” Gradum leaned back and closed his eyes to relax. After a few silent seconds of peace, he realized they were both still staring at him expectantly, “What?” 

Aleka tilted her head and crossed her arms, “There’s only one ground rule? I thought there’d be more.” 

“You _did_ say ‘ground _rules_ ,’ Grad.” Vima’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, “You really shouldn’t use a plural when describing a singular instance.” 

This made Aleka crack a smile, “Yeah, it’s kind of misleading.” 

“Wow,” Gradum shook his head, “It’s been like 20 seconds and you’re already making me regret setting that rule.” 

The stares did not relent. Gradum sighed dramatically, “God, why? Fine.” He searched his brain for an extra idea that would make his life easier, “Rule number two… uh…” Finally, he struck not just one, but two fantastic rules, “Oh, right! Rule number two: never, and I mean _never_...” He assumed his most dramatic serious face and pointed to the enthused cadet, who leaned forward eagerly to hear his next words, “...hide in caves to escape from birds.” 

All the enthusiasm washed from her face, Idalia opened her mouth to speak but made no sound. She turned to Vima, who wore an expression that could only be described as despondency in its rawest form. 

“Okay. And that brings us to rule number three!” Gradum waved his arms animatedly, realizing his chance to cut himself loose from some additional responsibility, “Stay with dear Samuel at all times and leave me alone. Good?” He nodded merrily before smacking his hands against his thighs in delight. “Good. Alright, meeting over!” He reclined in his seat until it toppled over, tucking himself into an overhead roll. Once he was on his feet again, he gave a shallow bow and strutted off, returning his body to the human-shaped imprint he left during his landing. 

Content with the assumption that Vima was positively steaming, Gradum closed his visor and decided to test how long it would take for his brother to retaliate. After about a minute of complete silence, and a notable lack of gunfire or yelling, he decided to make himself comfortable. He folded his hands behind his head and set some soft mood music to play in his headgear. 

By the time five minutes had passed, he started to feel significantly more complacent. If he hadn’t already been shot or otherwise assailed by now, he felt no reason to suspect it would happen at all. Full of triumph as well as relief, he felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy. Nothing like a good power-nap just before starting a big mysterious mission. He was already basically owed a few extra minutes of solitude. His brain continued to swim in conceit and excuses as he slowly drifted out of consciousness. Finally arriving at the sleep that was beckoning him, he felt a stinging pain pierce the back of his neck. 


	3. Instigate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naps are important

All at once, an unfathomable weakness suddenly wracked Gradum’s body, and his senses began to abandon him. He attempted to gasp but found he could no longer inhale or exhale. He then tried to flex his fingers, only to similarly discover his inability to even feel the presence of the fingers themselves. His entire being had halted all functions. No sights, no sounds, not even his breath to comfort him. Just an infinite void and his very puzzled mind. Despite the terrifying circumstances, he quickly lost any interest in panicking. Instead, he felt only a kind of profound euphoria from his situation, no longer able to parse the idea that he was in any imminent danger. An intense feeling of safety began to wash over him, settling his immobile form into what he could only assume was his abrupt passing. 

Just as he began to make peace with such a sudden death and subsequently blissful afterlife, the image of a dim shadow appeared in his mind’s eye. The shadow was formless, morphing into various shapes and sizes as Gradum struggled to comprehend what he was envisioning. Eventually, his mind was able to faintly grasp the appearance of the shade, causing it to stop transforming and mold into a large, cloudy oval. Another stabbing pain rocked his body just before a wave of soothing emotions subdued him again, shaking the shadow and warping it into a vaguely humanoid shape. The incessant urge to fully perceive this figure wracked his previously uncaring mind, motivating him to put all of his brainpower into defining features across the otherwise appearance-less form. 

The shadow seemed to change at his whim, changing in size and stature as he envisioned it. This realization really piqued his interest, and the shade increased in clarity as he focused on it. The process quickly devolved into Gradum attempting to design it to look like his ideal body type, subconsciously drawing on his own personal insecurities to build the appearance. It finally settled on a very tall figure with extremely broad shoulders and an overall beefy frame, satisfying Gradum to a degree, but it still wasn’t enough for him. He began to focus on the lower body when another rush of pain cut into his neck, this time pulling back the overwhelming feeling of relaxation and waking up his senses one by one. The shadow faded away as sounds began to pierce the silence of his surroundings, ripping his mind back to reality. 

“Uhhh…” A weak voice penetrated his right ear, speeding up his awakening further. 

A final sting dug into his neck before an extreme hit of dopamine crashed into him, waking him completely, but dulling his reaction. His vision finally returned and several startup text boxes popped up in his view, officially welcoming him back into consciousness. He attempted to shake his head to rid himself of the distractions but found his movement to still be sluggish at best. He managed to turn his head just enough to spot a small, familiar figure sitting cross-legged near his limp body, rapidly tapping away at a datapad with a terrified look on her face. Gradum tried to open his mouth to call out to the cadet but still could not produce a sound before Aleka noticed his head turned towards her. 

“Ah!” She recoiled slightly before leaning forward and squinting at his still-closed visor, “Wait, you’re alive?” 

Gradum would have scoffed if his body were able, but instead thought over her words for a moment. Was he actually dead before? A shock of embarrassment traveled down his spine as he realized how he must look in his current position. Better to play it cool than look like he needed help from the socially inept child that loomed over him. 

“Umm… hello?” She tilted her head and peered harder into his visor, “Are you..?” 

He felt his arms grow sore and radiate a very mild pain. How long had he been laying there with his hands behind his head? He dared not move them so as not to let Aleka know he was awake before he was sure had full movement back. 

“Ooookay then…” She turned her attention back to her pad, “I can, uh… I can tell you’re awake…”

She must have been performing a medical scan to track his consciousness. He couldn’t put it off any longer. He had to say something so she wouldn’t bring his brother into this. As the rest of his limbs recovered functionality, he put all of his willpower into making a single, disgusted sound. 

“Ugh.” He groaned breathlessly. It was the most he could manage with a largely paralyzed throat and mouth but it would suffice. 

“Oh, thank…” Aleka sighed in relief, swiping across her pad with significantly less panic, “I mean… you… you feeling okay?” 

The answer was obvious, but Gradum was intent on preserving his image. Feeling control return to much of his upper body, he simply returned his head to its original resting position, hoping that his usual strategy of ignoring her would continue to pay off. 

“Okay, then.” Aleka shrugged and went back to her pad with a frown, “Uhh, just so you know… You haven’t actually _breathed_ in, uhhh…” She turned the pad around to show him the readout of his body on the medical chart, “443 minutes…”

An incredible burning sensation erupted in his diaphragm, and Gradum was suddenly intimately aware of the horrible emptiness of his lungs. He dispelled his headgear as he sat up and took the deepest breath of his life, causing Aleka to flinch and fall backward onto her elbows. That jolt seemingly reset the remainder of his body, finally granting him access to verbal communication. 

“The fuck was…” He paused to fully catch his breath, the taste of cold metal coating the inside of his mouth. Remembering his subordinate’s presence, he turned to reprimand her, “How long have you been sitting there for?!” 

“Just a, uh… only a couple hours, sir.” She settled back into her previous position with a worried look, “Your vitals dropped and I, uh, wasn’t sure what to do…”

“You just like watching people sleep or something? Two times in one day is hardly a-” The dire expression on her face halted his ranting for just long enough for him to grasp her previous statement, “Wait, define ‘dropped.’”

“Oh! Well, uh…” Aleka swallowed and held up the pad again and looked to him nervously, “Should I start at the ‘no breathing’ thing?” 

“Ohhh, _my god_.” Gradum rubbed his face in frustration, “Just… Yeah, sure. Go for it. I don’t care.” 

“Okay then…” She turned the pad around to show him, “You just kinda stopped breathing a few minutes after the briefing. Body temperature dropped to about 19 centigrade too. Doesn’t look like your heart stopped though, so you weren’t _technically_ dead or anything…” 

“Ah, wonderful. So I’ve been only _mostly_ dead for, what? Almost 8 hours now? Is that right?” 

“I mean-”

“And you didn’t think to do _anything_ about it? Just stare at me be mostly dead for hours on end for fun, yeah?” His voice gained a harsh edge, and anger began to overtake his calm facade, “Didn’t even snitch to that big smug bastard of a CO so he can laugh at my corpse? _Nothing_ ?” He motioned towards where the shuttle was parked, only to find an empty patch of dirt where it once stood, “ _What_? Where the fuck did he go?!” 

“I…” Her face contorted in a mix of fear and shame, “I told him what was happening and he got all weird! Said to just not go near you and wait until he got back.” She hugged her body and rocked back and forth, “He took the shuttle to check out the impact site. He’s supposed to be back soon but… but I don’t know what I’m doing!” 

“Whoa…” Gradum was still not accustomed to Aleka being anything but awkward and quiet, so seeing her so distraught took him aback, “Why did-”

“I went to apply medical and… and he stopped me! Told me to stay at least a meter away from you at all costs. He seemed sure you’d be fine and to call him if anything happened, but…” She was visibly shaking now, “But comms barely work at all here! And you were basically dead, and _both_ of you told me to leave you alone, and…” 

“Idalia…” Disarmed by the outburst, Gradum’s tone softened as he pointed to the datapad in her quaking hand, “Can I see that?’

She tossed it to him before coiling her body into a familiar ball, breathing deeply as she did. Gradum looked over the medical readout, checking for any inconsistencies in her story. Everything checked out. He had been functionally dead, save for a slow heartbeat, for nearly 8 hours. 

“Huh.” He shook his head and chuckled to himself, “Son of a bitch.” 

“What?”

“Looks like this thing got hit with this planet’s shit too.” He launched the tablet over his shoulder dismissively, covering up the obvious lie that preceded it, “Even fooled V, huh?” 

“Wha… what do you mean?” 

“I look like a 19-degree husk to you, kid?” He forced a vain laugh, “I do appreciate Sam telling you not to wake me up though. Best kind of naps are the way-too-long ones.” 

Aleka’s shaking slowly started to relent now, “I mean, the armor and the helmet kind of made that hard to determine, but I guess…” 

“And not to mention,” Realizing a chance to show off, Gradum adopted a cocky tone as he popped his knuckles, “Could a mostly-dead man do _this_?” He flexed his legs to kick off of the dirt, but they barely moved, leaving him still grounded and just a little bit embarrassed. 

“Umm…” Aleka cracked a smile, slightly decompressing her body from her ball of stress, “Do what?” 

“Ugh…” He flopped back onto his back in disappointment, “Guess my legs fell asleep. Oh well. Your loss.” 

“Okay… also that was _my_ pad that you just tossed. So I’m just gonna go see if it… if it’s okay.” 

She rose to her feet and shuffled awkwardly behind him, giving Gradum an opportunity to discreetly investigate what it was that had pricked his neck earlier. He turned over onto his shoulder and examined the dirt that had been directly beneath his head, but he saw nothing unusual. Just a patch of dry dirt with a vaguely head-shaped imprint. He reached out to touch it and felt a biting cold cut through his armored gloves, bypassing his suit’s temperature barrier instantly. Before he could properly measure how cold the patch was, he heard Aleka sigh in relief as she recovered her pad. 

“Oh, thank god.” She whispered to herself as she hugged the device to her body. 

“Yeah, those things are durable as hell!” He turned onto his back again, crossing his arms over his chest and staring into the sky nonchalantly, “Guess I did you a favor then. Now you know somethin’ new.” 

An eerie silence filled the empty air. Absolute quiet. No birds chirping. No insects. Nothing. Not even a stale breeze to grace their surroundings. 

“Sooo…” Gradum sighed, desperate to hear a sound that wasn’t his own heartbeat, “Now what?” 

“Well, uh... I guess just stand by our latest orders and wait for Colonel Vima to get back?” She walked towards the area where the shuttle once was, “Wait, aren’t you like the XO here? Don’t you know?” 

“Knew you’d say that. Ugh…” He rolled his eyes in contentment. He remembered what she mentioned about Vima earlier, sparking his curiosity, “What exactly did he say to you after the brief again?”

“Umm… Not a whole lot?” She shrugged as she reached the landing area and sat at the meeting table, “Looked over inventory for a little bit, then told me to wake you up so we could move on. And when I got to you, you were all… _dead_ … and stuff…” She shivered and took a deep breath, “And then when I told him and ran to grab a medical capsule, he… he yelled at me not to. Said not to go near you. At all.”

“Pfft. Oh yeah no help for me, right, Sam?” Gradum mumbled to himself. 

“But it was the _way_ he said it that was weird. Made it sound like you were... _contagious_ or something. He got a little freaked out too. Looked like he was trying to downplay it, but he was, uhh… kinda bad at hiding it.” 

“Oh yeah. That’s Sammy alright.” He let a smirk creep across his face. Maybe she wasn’t as slow as he had initially thought. 

“From there he seemed in a big hurry. Took one look at the medical readout and almost ran to the ship. Dropped some supplies off and told me to stay put and keep an eye on you until he came back. So... “ She held her head in her hands. “That’s pretty much it, I guess.” 

“Wow.” Gradum shook his head and sighed, “That’s two whole ground rules out of three broken in record time. Didn’t think you guys had it in ya.” 

“Well, he should be back in a few minutes, so you’ll get what you want then.” She huffed, causing Gradum’s smirk to upgrade to a full smile. 

“Ah, I always do.” If he could get her to loosen up and, in any way, actually emote like a normal person, he’d consider it a win. 

“And you’re just fine with being basically dead for several hours then? That’s it?” Her voice cracked with a hint of irritation. 

“I already told you. Your pad was getting hit with whatever the fuck is wrong with this shithole.” He lied, intensifying his gaze on the heavens, staring into the unnatural holes in the clouds to block out the shame, “And I think I’d know if I was dying of mega-frostbite or something just a couple minutes ago.”

“What about the breathing?” She glared at him, “You seemed pretty desperate for air after I told you about that part.” 

“Yeah, turns out most people are pretty gullible when they first wake up.” It took all of Gradum’s willpower to keep his face from breaking.

“Uh-huh…”

“Besides, you really think-” Before he could continue his excuses, he saw something move into one of the empty pockets in the cloud cover. A tiny figure lowering down onto the terrain about a kilometer away. Finally, he found some excuse to get out of this conversation, “Actually, hold that thought. I’m gonna go check that out real quick!” 

“Wait, what?” She looked up with a confused expression, “There’s nothing else here.” 

“Maybe it just entered orbit, I don’t know. What I do know,” He sat up and stretched, “Is that I wanna go see it!” He commanded his legs to dramatically kick him off the ground once more, but again they refused, only managing to bend at the knees slightly, “Goddammit. Come on!” 

“Are you… okay?” Aleka turned her attention towards his embarrassing display, holding back a giggle. 

“This is what I get for sleeping on fucking topsoil…” Gradum mumbled to himself as he devised his next strategy. He laid back down for a moment and curled his upper body forward with all his might, launching him over his bent knees and into a very messy forward roll, hoping that his legs would obey him if they were under some pressure. By the time his motion had come to an end, he had both feet beneath him in a crouched position. Again, he ordered his legs to raise him up, but, rather than complying, they simply shook weakly at the weight of the torso and equipment above them. 

“Piece of…” Finally coming to terms with his handicap, Gradum changed his game plan. If he could just straighten his legs beneath him, he could activate his suit’s exoskeleton until his legs could hold his weight. Satisfied with this idea, he pulled the sword from his back and, once the blade had formed, stuck the point into the ground in front of him, “Here we go…” He hoisted himself up until his legs were completely rigid, and, remembering he had an audience, struck a regal, knightlike pose with the pommel held in both hands. Imagining how cool the pose would look if this planet had any wind to blow through his hair, he held down a small button on his palm, initiating the hydraulic joints in the legs of his suit. 

Aleka’s face turned from amusement to worry, “Wait, where are you going? Shouldn’t we wait for-” 

“Adventure waits,” Gradum held his weapon aloft, purple sparks crackling from the fuller, “ _For_ _no man_!” He dispelled the blade and returned it to its place on his back before walking towards the direction of the mysterious figure. 

“Wait! What should I-”

“Please consult ground rules number one and three for further instruction.” He gave her a mocking thumbs up and dropped into a dead sprint, the hydraulics in his armor granting him incredible speed. 

Despite his hurried pace, he still felt a disappointing amount of wind on his face as he dodged between the tree trunks ahead. He huffed some curses under his breath as he neared the location he suspected the figure had been seen in record time. Sighting an empty patch in the forest, he stiffened his legs and skidded across the dirt, coming to a complete stop a few hundred feet before the opening. He crouched behind a tree and pulled up his heads-up display to scan his surroundings for heat signatures. After a few seconds, a message popped up claiming one signature had been spotted nearby. 

“There you are.” Gradum grinned proudly and began to stand up, but was interrupted by another heat signature being detected, “A twofer, huh? Alright, where are you?” He broadened the scan radius, causing two more pings. Then five more. Then twelve, “Oh shit.” Dozens of signatures appeared within seconds, raising his excitement to its peak. He requested the locations of each ping and, almost instantly, hundreds more filled the screen, prompting an equal amount of error messages that froze the entire interface. 

Gradum came to a realization, “Oh, you’re just fucking broken too, huh?” He dismissed the scanner with a frown and, disregarding the readings from his malfunctioning equipment, decided to track his target the old fashioned way. He examined his surroundings for the tallest tree with the sturdiest trunk, knowing that his frame was heavy enough to easily topple any lesser shrub. Eventually, he settled for a trunk just wider than his body and set about scaling it. He squatted down and performed a mighty jump, taking full advantage of his hydraulic leg braces to carry him all the way to the top instantly. 

“Okay, once more with feeling. Where are you?” He nestled himself in the dense branches to avoid being seen and looked around for his quarry. Through the masses of leaves and twigs, he could just barely make out the shape of a vaguely humanoid figure silently descending into the breach ahead, just as Gradum had anticipated. He chuckled vainly to himself and dropped out of the brush with a heavy thud, causing a tiny yelp followed by a smaller thud to sound off behind him. He reflexively pulled his pistol and whipped around to point it at the cause of the sounds. 

“What the fu-” Once his mind caught up with his reflexes, he recognized the cowering cadet beneath him, “Goddamn it, kid! Good way to get yourself shot!” 

Aleka stood back up and silently stared down at her feet in shame. 

“Ugh, whatever,” He holstered his gun with a forced sigh, “Just don’t-” He held his tongue as he noticed a significant change in her uniform. A light harness hung on her back, stretching down until it reached a belt at her waist. On her forearms she wore a set of thick gauntlets with small metallic imprints laid throughout and fitted with two sets of dense tubes that spanned up the length of her arms, meeting at the center of her shoulders into a slim device covered with a handful of small glowing lights. 

Gradum was baffled, “Where the hell did you get that?!” 

“Uh, Vima left it…” She fiddled with the oversized gloves, trying to get them to settle on her hands despite them being noticeably too big to fit her, “He dropped it off before he left and said it was only for ‘dire circumstances or extreme encouragement.’ I… I’m not sure what that means but…” 

“Uh-huh.” His face fell as he recalled unpleasant memories of the device’s uses, “You don’t know what that is, do you?” 

Aleka sunk her shoulders with a frown, “Not… really…”

“Shocking.” He gripped the bridge of his nose and adopted his most condescending tone, “That, dear child, is a mobile charging harness. Takes in volatile energies and redirects them to charge batteries and vice versa. Despite how it sounds, it’s pretty much got only one use. See how those dangle just a little bit?” He pointed to the inch-wide gap between her arms and the harness’s tubes, then pointed up to the sky, “That’s so when you get hit by fucking lightning with this thing on it doesn’t completely fry your dumb ass.” 

Her eyes went wide in dread, prompting him to continue his description with even more enthusiasm, “So yeah. It’s notable for being a very temperamental piece of shit as well as basically useless outside of some… electrical encouragement. And you just… _put it on_. Without even knowing what it is.” 

“I didn’t… uh…” She stumbled over her words as she looked over the device on her person with newfound fear. 

“You saw that freakish shit and just attached it to your body without a second thought? How’d you even- You know what? Nevermind. I’ve got shit to do.” He pushed past the unsettled cadet towards his initial target. 

“W-wait! How do I get this thing off? Safely!” Aleka reached over her shoulders to feel around the center of the harness. 

“Well,” Gradum splayed his hand out and looked up, “Doesn’t look like we’re due for any inclement weather anytime soon. Don’t see why it’s necessarily _unsafe_ to wear around for a little bit.” He snickered to himself and continued his stroll. 

“Where are you going? Should I-” 

“Nope!” He held up three fingers without skipping a beat, “Rule number three, kid. Memorize it!” 

When he heard no reply, he sighed with satisfaction. He was finally free to pursue the only potentially pleasant thing that could happen to him on this shitty assignment. He moved towards the clearing ahead at a brisk pace, eager to see what had landed no more than a hundred feet away. His surroundings were still completely silent, with only the sounds of his own muted footsteps. If nothing else, his target could provide a chance at him interacting with an individual that Gradum found at least slightly less insufferable than the other two. 

He stopped just short of the open area, opting to briefly scope out the immediate area just before strutting his way into the clearing. He stopped at the center, looking all around him before shaking his head and sighing at the sight of absolutely nothing nearby, “Ugh. Must’ve moved on while that damn ki-” 

A bassy metallic voice cut through the stagnant air behind him, “Status identitatem.” 

Chills of excitement shot through Gradum’s spine. He gave no reply. 

“Identitatem. _Statim._ ” An electronic whir sang through the air, and Gradum could only assume it was a weapon being brandished. 

He began to contemplate the perfect reply, not wanting to sour this situation with a poorly thought-out quip. He quickly settled on his ideal response, but then realized the language his challenger had been addressing him in. Mind racing, he scoured all the vague memories of Advanced Latin lessons in an attempt to translate his thoughts into a form that would sound more fitting to the situation. 

“ _Forte finalem_!” 

Losing his train of thought, Gradum instead elected to just play it cool. He turned to face his aggressor, barely masking his excitement with his aloof demeanor, “Hmmm?” 

The figure was humanoid and no taller than he was, clad in black and grey with subtle aquamarine lights throughout its body. Its face was blank, marked by only two diagonal slits emitting a slightly more pronounced light from within, pulsing in time with the whirring cannon residing at the end of its right arm. Gradum smirked at the sight of the weapon; feeling the entity’s eyes burning into his own only enhanced the rush. 

After a brief staring contest, his opponent recoiled slightly, “ _Motus_ curatores?” 

Gradum’s heart dropped at the mention of Motus. If this thing worked for his employer, picking a fight with it would certainly result in even more disciplinary penalties for him to suffer through. Having maintained his nerve, he silently stepped forward and peered into its featureless face with conviction, still trying to bait out an attack if possible. The entity lowered its weapon and closed the remaining distance between them, bringing their faces mere inches apart. 

“Your proclivity for performative hostilities is noted, Haeres.” It remained absolutely still, but its voice was slightly softer than before. 

“Haeres?” Gradum’s face contorted in confusion, “Spend thirty seconds together and you’re already comin’ up with pet names?” 

“Apologies,” Its eyes flashed with a tilt of its head, “ _Major_.” It backed a few steps away from him. 

“Uh-huh.” Feeling the rush of adrenaline flow out of him, Gradum huffed dejectedly and crossed his arms, “So where’d you come from?” 

“You are already aware.” 

“Mmmmm am I, though?” He scrunched up his face snidely, “For being so talkative you haven’t been terribly informative, dickhead.” 

“Agreed.” It bowed its head, “Motus contact protocol insists that all artificials discern the allegiance of contacted individuals before information is disseminated.”

“Wow, that’s… not even remotely right.” Gradum shook his head with a chuckle, “They program their kitchen appliances to lie up there, too? Or…” He wasn’t particularly fond of remembering boring protocols, but even he knew the guidelines automated Motus military personnel operated on. He leaned forward dramatically, “Are you not actually _from_ Motus?” 

“Irrelevant.” Its eyes flashed again, “Our objectives align. Quarrels over allegiance are counterproductive.” 

He laughed in disbelief, “Really? Not even gonna deny it?” 

“Irrelevant. Such accusations are counterproductive. There is work to be done. Your arrival was less than punctual.” 

“Well, now that you mention it-”

“ _Prohibere_!” With lightning speed, the machine dashed just past Gradum, pushing him behind its back firmly. The cannon on its arm spooled up once more as it was brandished towards the set of trees Gradum had passed on his way into the clearing. Was it… protecting him? His confusion was quickly overtaken by the realization of who exactly his supposed protector was protecting him from. 

“Whoa, cool it, bot!” 

“Manere retrorsum!” It pulled him closer to behind him until they were back to back, the sound of its weapon growing louder as it charged. It was going to fire at her, and he’d only have a split second to act. 

The adrenaline rushed back into his body as he sprung into action, “Non grates!” He hooked his left arm under the elbow brandishing the cannon and pulled it towards him as he squatted down, pushing with all of his force against the machine’s legs. For a moment, he felt its entire weight pressing down on him as it slid over his back, causing a horrible metal scraping sound before it hit the dirt. He grabbed his sword with his free hand and jabbed it through an exposed gap in the automaton’s weaponized forearm, locking the ordinance firmly in place against the ground. Still gripping the handle of his blade, Gradum stood triumphantly over his conquered adversary, his foot planted firmly on its back as he pulled his gun and aimed at its head. 

“How’s _that_ for ‘performative?’” 

The machine remained silent, boosting his ego even further just before it enacted its retribution. Its left hand bent inhumanly as it extended and grabbed Gradum’s left arm, sitting up backward as it did. Thousands of tiny metal objects scuttled across its torso like a mass of ants, warping its bulky frame as it rose to its feet. By the time it was upright, its entire body had been flipped horizontally, with the front side occupying the space its backside had previously. Once its head had finished morphing as well, it lifted Gradum off the ground by his arm and held its face to his, the unnatural light of his blue eyes reflecting clearly in the blank faceplate. 

“Not yet, Haeres.” Its cold voice whispered, disappointment ringing clearly in its otherwise emotionless tone. It let him dangle in shame for a moment before gently setting him back down, returning the blade that was stuck in its arm to him as it did so. 

“You good now?” He huffed as he holstered his pistol, still making sure to keep his sword hand ready just in case. 

“Projection. A stand-down order would have sufficed.”

“Oh, my bad!” He threw his arms up in disbelief, “‘Oh, pretty please would you mind not trying to obliterate any more fucking children?’ That what you want?” 

It tilted its head, “The child is an associate?” 

“Yup! And I’m only gonna say this once,” He lifted his sword and aimed the point at the dead center of the synthetic’s featureless face, “Put the compensation cannon away and chill the fuck out before you get made into a real shitty lookin’ hood ornament.” 

Its eyes flashed as it bent forward, pressing the tip of the blade against its face and scraping a thin line down the center. 

“Acceptable.” It pulled back slowly. The cannon on its arm disintegrated into hundreds of the tiny metal ants, gathering across its body and filling in the fresh cut on its face, “Shall I interact with the child as a measure of goodwill?” 

Gradum squinted suspiciously at this sudden change in attitude but decided to oblige out of the assumption that if this thing really wanted them dead, it was more than capable of having done so by now, “Fine. Alright, kid! You can come out now!” 

A shuffling noise came from just in front of them, and a head poked out from behind one of the trees, “Uhhh… okay…” Aleka slowly strolled towards them, her eyes darting between the two cautiously. She stopped just a few feet from Gradum, taking extra care to scoot a few extra inches from the synthetic. 

“Apologies, miniature one,” It bowed to her slightly, “Your futile attempt at stealth was not appreciated.” 

She gave no reply, only gazing nervously into the glowing slits of the automaton that had threatened her life mere moments ago. 

“So…” Gradum cleared his throat, eager to move on with this interaction, “What did you say you were doing here, again?” 

“I did not.” Its eyes flashed as it straightened its back, “I believe introductions are in order.” 

“Pffft, you ‘believe?’ Artificials can ‘believe’ in shit all of a sudden?” He crossed his arms cockily. 

The machine’s head turned slowly toward him as if it was annoyed, “Organic verbal communication is utterly finite.” 

“What?” 

“I have no given name.” It folded its arms nearly behind its back, “Next.” 

“No no no...” Gradum shook his head, “We’re not giving out identification until you give us something to work with here. _You_ tried to kill _us_ , buddy.” He shot Aleka a smirk. 

“Yeah,” She lightened up and returned the smirk, “It's only fair.” 

A barely perceptible rumbling was heard from within the synthetic’s chassis. Was it… grumbling? 

“I have no given name. It is unnecessary for my design and function.” 

“Well then make one up!” Gradum gestured towards the pensive machine wildly, “Go wild! I don’t care, just pick one!” 

“Very well...” The sound of rumbling returned, slightly louder this time with another flash of its eyes, “Saccron will suffice. Next.” 

“Ooooooo! Can I call you Sac?” His eyes lit up, literally, “I’m gonna call you Sac.” He nodded firmly. 

This time the grumbling was accompanied by very subtle vibrations across its arms and neck, “ _Next_.”

“Alright!” Gradum clapped enthusiastically, “This is Idalia and you already know who I am for some reason. All done!” He turned and began to walk away. 

“You are still unaware of your objective,” Saccron called to him.

“Ughhhh…” He whipped back around, flinging his arms loosely as he did, “Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine… What is our objective, oh wise and traitorous one?” 

“Currently, it would be beneficial to investigate the source of the infection expeditiously. Though the journey is long.” 

“I’m sorry, source of the _infection_? The hell does that mean?” 

Aleka turned to him with a confused look on her face, “What? Infection? That's not… he said _impact site_. Right?” She looked up at Saccron. 

“Correct.” It nodded, “Auditory damage is likely due to the ill-advised descent from orbit.” 

“Uh… okay then…” Gradum shook his head dismissively, “So, how should we do this exactly?” 

“You are the officer in command. It is within your jurisdiction to provide orders.” 

A smile tore its way onto his face. Even though this was very incorrect, the flattery was enough to overtake his entire expression. This joy was short-lived, as Aleka decided to speak up. 

“Ummm… actually he’s the XO right now…” 

“Wow, thanks, kid…” He mumbled under his breath. 

“That is… unfortunate.” It shook its head, “Such a minuscule juvenile to command an officer of your proficiency.” 

“Oh! No, I’m not uh…” Her voice trailed off as she spotted the death glare her superior was shooting the synthetic, “I mean, uh… you don’t know who our CO is?” 

“This is evident. Who then, if not either of you? Why are they not present?” 

“Wow,” Gradum huffed, jealousy burning in his eyes, “Finally someone without knowledge of all the incredible stories of the grand Colonel Vima? Never thought I’d see the day.” 

Saccron’s eyes flashed again, this time with much more intensity, “Lieutenant Colonel Vima is on-world? What is his present location?” 

“I don’t fuckin’ know!” He shrugged and held his hands up in front of him, “Said he was checking out the infec- ‘ _impact site_ ’ last I heard.” 

“He should be back here soon, though…” Aleka added meekly. 

“Acknowledged.” It nodded once and pointed to the horizon, “I will investigate the terrain ahead. You must reach the infection promptly, or my assignment may be rendered utterly fruitless. It is not so patient as I am.” 

Gradum stepped back, confusion warping his expression. He turned to Aleka, who seemed completely unphased, if not comforted by what the automaton had just spoken.

“You too.” She said with an emphatic nod.

It strolled away, pausing just before it passed into the trees ahead to look over its shoulder. 

“ _No one will believe you, Haeres_.” Its chilling voice rang in his head, disembodied and impersonal. 

A sly grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as things began to click in his mind. This was a play he’d never seen before. Everything about this artificial was unfathomably suspicious, and Aleka’s shockingly not-anxious response to anything it said was more than enough to pique his interest. 

“Well, it seemed nice.” He chuckled craftily through a smirk. 

“Yeah. I’ve never heard of an artificial wish anyone good luck before.” She smiled warmly, “He’s definitely different.” 

“Oh yeah,” He had his confirmation, “You could say that…” He released a hearty sigh as he saw a large object fly overhead towards the landing zone, “Come on. Gotta go talk to my dumbass brother again.” 

They both turned and trudged back to the LZ. Gradum’s mind raced with excitement as he worked through the future possibilities that had just opened up for him. This dead-end assignment had just become a lot more alluring, and he eagerly awaited what was waiting for him at this “infection.”


	4. Disclosure

“Cade! You're not dead!” 

Gradum tensed his body as he spotted a burly mass charging toward him at great speed. He recognized his brother instantly, and he knew he had to do something to avoid what was coming. 

“No no no no no…” He muttered panickedly under his breath as he thought over his options, making no progress into plotting any particular plan of action. Realizing Vima was only a few meters away now, he tried to activate his suit’s jump jets but was met only with a dull beeping indicating unsafe fuel levels. Before he could disengage the failsafe manually, he felt two powerful hands seize his shoulders, pulling him forward into a wholly solid slab of metal and muscle. 

“Oh, thank god!” Vima laughed in delight as his crushing embrace tightened, lifting his victim a few inches into the air, “You were dead and gone, boy!” 

“You’re lucky my gun arm is pinned right now, Sam…” Gradum whispered through gritted teeth. 

“Oh, you always know the right thing to say.” Vima sighed heartily, squeezing his brother one last time before setting him down with a thud, “Still feel a little cold though. You  _ are  _ okay, right?” 

“It’s your imagination,” Gradum crossed his arms with a pout, “As was that whole fiasco to begin with, so just drop it.” 

“What?” Vima looked past his shoulder to the cadet behind him, “Aleka?”

“Yeah, umm…” She tapped her fingers together nervously, “He says the medical readings were false because of the tech interference this planet gives off.” 

“Hmf. Is that right?” He huffed as he returned his attention to his brother. 

“Oh, don’t even!” Gradum brushed past him, walking with purpose towards the shuttle ahead of him, “Not in the mood right now.” 

“Grad…” 

“Nope! Go bitch at her if you want. I’m out.” 

Under normal circumstances, he would be more than happy to indulge himself with a classic argument with his superior. These were not normal circumstances, however. He had never felt so motivated in his life, and he had no time for familial squabbling now. He had to reach the “infection site” as soon as possible. 

“Grad? Are you-“

“So, how was the inf-  _ impact site _ ?” He called gingerly over his shoulder, “Exciting?” 

“Well, I’m not exactly interested in telling your backside about it.” Vima’s soft tone from their reunion turned suddenly commanding, and the drill instructor had returned, “So, till I stop seein’ it pointed at me, I’m gonna have to hold off, I suppose.” 

Gradum scowled to himself. He hated to have to give in, but even he could admit he needed the information. Though it hurt, he turned towards the meeting table next to the parked vessel and sat down at it. He gestured at the remaining empty seats, “Shall we?” 

Vima squinted suspiciously at him but said nothing. He began to walk cautiously to his seat at the table, still not breaking eye contact. Once Aleka was seated as well, he slid a datapad onto the table but kept his hand over it warily. 

“So, before we begin…” He looked between the two of his subordinates expectantly, “You both seem in much better spirits than I expected. Not to mention neither of you appear to be dying anymore. What did I miss?” 

“Ehh, not much,” Gradum forced a yawn, “Took a great nap, spent a few minutes to calm the child soldier down because of said nap, made a new friend, got almost crushed to death by you. Y’know. The works.” 

“New friend?” Vima raised his eyebrows. 

“Yeah, you’d be surprised how much this kid can talk when you’re not around.” 

“Caden.” 

“What?” 

“Out with it.” Vima leaned forward in his chair, staring into his brother’s eyes with a grim expression, “ _ Now _ .” 

Gradum returned his gaze with a scowl, hoping that he’d switch topics to cut down the awkwardness. After a few moments, Vima’s eyes widened as he shook his head in disbelief. 

“ _ Fine _ .” The anger returned to his face, “Aleka. There something I should know?” 

“Umm, I guess…” She shifted awkwardly in her seat, “A Motus artificial landed near here. I didn’t really… well, recognize his model, but he said he was a prototype so I uh…” 

“Oh,  _ good _ . Nothing  _ I _ needed to know about, right, Grad?” His glare intensified, daring Gradum to reply with some sass of his own. 

“Thought you knew already.” He shrugged, “Thing said it was assigned here. I’d expect you to know the status of your own team.” 

“Well then…” Vima sat back with a sigh and ran his hand through his hair, “ _ I _ certainly wasn’t notified. You’re sure it was Motus?” 

“I mean…” She paused to think for a moment, “He  _ said _ he was…”

“Awww, is somebody being kept in the dark by his superiors?” Gradum folded his hands behind his head and put his feet up on the table, “Well, I’m sure you’ll get used to it. Hey, when we get to the impact site maybe you can ask it yourself. What happened over there, by the way?” 

He was met with another suspicious look, but Vima sighed and uncovered the pad on the table. A holographic image of a planet appeared just above the table. 

“Nothing much, unfortunately.” A large dome materialized over a significant portion of the planet’s image, “Atmospheric conditions are  _ dire _ near the site itself. Couldn’t get even close to visual range without almost spinning out. Any approach will have to be mostly on foot, I’m afraid.” 

“Yay...” Gradum sighed with a stretch, “And how long will that take?” 

“From our current spot? About a week.” 

Aleka and Gradum joined together with a whiny groan of displeasure. 

“ _ But _ , that’s why we have a shuttle.” Vima pointed to the vessel behind him, “I can land us closer to the site, but it’ll still be a bit of a trip from there. A day or two? Depends on the terrain.” 

“Lovely.” Gradum whined as he rose from his seat, “Let’s go then. No time to lose!” 

“I suppose you’re right.” Vima nodded, “Aleka? Could you go… wait…” He tilted his head at the cadet, his expression transitioning from curiosity to shock, “Did you…  _ where did you get that?! _ ” He pointed to the gauntlet-clad arm that was resting on the table. 

She shrunk down into her chair, her face turned a ghostly white, “I-I… what did I..?” 

“Oh, what’s that?” Gradum gestured to the cowering student as he approached her slowly, “Are you referring to the freakish weapon of self-destruction that  _ you _ , with your incredible insight, provided to her with no explanation?” He grabbed the previously exposed arm and brandished it towards his brother, rousing some uncomfortable sounds from the owner of the arm in question, “ _ This _ little wearable nightmare?”

“No, I… I did, didn’t I?” Vima rubbed his face in shame. 

“Awww, don’t you-“ 

“ _ But _ ,” He held up one hand as he cut in, “I also recall directing her not to touch it unless there was an emergency. I’m sure she knew what she was doing.”

“Umm…” Aleka squeaked, flexing the hand still in Gradum’s grasp, “This thing comes off… right?” 

“Well, unfortunately-“

“Shut it.” Vima interrupted bitterly, completely derailing Gradum’s attempted prank and causing him to let go of her arm with a pout, “Yes, just touch your knuckles to the base of the device on your back.”

With both arms now free, she stood up and crossed her arms behind her back, her closed hands clinging together against the pack magnetically. A soft whirring sound was emitted from the circuitry as the various tubes and cords detached from her body. She breathed a sigh of relief as she removed her hands from the restrictive gauntlets, and the entire device fell to the ground with a horrible crack, shooting several tiny sparks as it landed. There was a brief bout of embarrassing silence before she managed to speak up.

“...sorry…” She whimpered and covered her face. 

“It’s quite alright. Learning experience for us all.” Vima forced a smile, “Well, as I was saying. Aleka, could you do me a favor? Could you go check the fuel reserves for me?” 

The cadet uncovered her face slowly, her eyes moving between her superiors with a look of dejection. She turned to walk to the shuttle. 

“Oh, and please put that harness back in the armory while you’re at it?” 

She stopped for a moment and nodded shamefully, squatted down to pick up the damaged equipment. She hung her head as she strolled past the shuttle bay doors. 

“Oh boy, it’s your turn to call the secret meetings now?” Gradum huffed under his breath as he plopped back into his seat. 

“What is your problem?” His brother stared into his eyes with a mix of suspicion and worry, “Yesterday you were so up your own ass you had to be shot at to do anything. Now you’re all about mission punctuality? The hell happened?” 

“Awww, don’t like someone else being more committed to finishing an assignment than you?” 

“What…” The worried stare was replaced with one of great irritation, “ _ Happened _ ?” 

“Also, back up, you gave a charge harness to a fucking cadet? Without instruction! And  _ you’re  _ the upset one here? Jesus...” 

“Caden, you are visibly paler, your implants are even brighter than usual, and I can tell you’re not walking normally.” He balled up a fist and rested it on the table, “You were well past the threshold of death for hours, and I spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time drafting a report that states just that.” His voice began to crack slightly as he continued, “Just… just give me  _ something _ to work with?”

Gradum clenched his jaw. Nothing derailed his mood quite like his brother’s sensitive side, but something felt different this time. The sharp twinge of shame that would always linger in his chest had passed in an instant, leaving him feeling just as disinterested as he usually was. 

“I told you already,” He scowled in annoyance, “The med scanner fucked up. Every other fuckin’ scanner on this planet doesn’t work worth shit. Why would  _ that _ one be right?” 

“Good point, good point,” Vima nodded, “But that doesn’t explain the paleness, the eyes,  _ or  _ the walking. Care to enlighten me?” 

“Eh, not really.”

“Grad, any answers I don’t get from you I expect to get from her.” He motioned to the shuttle, “So why don’t you give me your story now so we don’t have to hear her, probably unfavorable, recollection of your… antics.” 

Gradum’s cheeks began to grow warm with embarrassment, but he felt the warmth fade as quickly as it had arrived. Whatever shame he felt had been channeled into contemplation, and he almost immediately was struck with a plan to get out of this conversation, and have some fun while doing so. 

“Alright, you asked for it.” He chuckled to himself as he prepared to ramble, “That artificial wasn’t Motus, it speaks some broke-ass Latin, it’s got some really freaky impossible tech shit in it, and it’s very clearly evil and wants to kill us all.” 

Vima’s expression was incredulous. It was clear he was trying to work through what he had just heard, but his face was wracked with disbelief. 

“Oh, and it’s telepathic.” Gradum added with a smug grin. 

Any remnants of hope that was left in his brother’s eyes visibly drained from his face as his eyebrows furrowed in rage. 

“ _ Fine _ . Don’t tell me, then!” He slammed his fist on the table, then cleared his throat before calling out in a much softer tone, “Aleka? Could you come here please?” 

Her head poked out slowly from behind the shuttle door, her face drained of color and eyes darting between the two men. 

“ _ Woooooow _ ...” Gradum tsked and shook his head, “Good job, V. You scared the baby.” 

Her face fell for a moment, filling the paleness with red before the anger began to take over. An irritated pout framed her expression as she stomped back to her place at the table and dropped into the seat with a thump. She crossed her arms tightly and looked down at her lap grumpily, seeming to forget that she had been called for earlier. 

“Aleka?” Vima moved his head to try to meet her gaze, “Are you-“ 

“I-“ Her eyes widened as she straightened herself in the chair, giving her attention back to her CO, “Right! Sorry…” 

“Heh, guess I just have that effect on people…” Gradum chuckled under his breath. 

“Shut it.” Vima held up one finger towards him without breaking eye contact with Aleka, “I’m sorry about that. Everything’s fine. Cade’s just being a brat.”

“Oh, okay…” She swallowed hard, “What did you need me for?” 

“I’m glad you asked.” A forced grin spread across his face, “I’d just like to compare notes on what exactly happened while I was gone. Especially since our XO here was apparently, uh… ‘asleep’ for most of it.” 

“Well, uhh-“

“Okay then, you two have fun.” Gradum stood up with a dramatic stretch, “I’m gonna go reevaluate my life choices.” 

“Where the hell are  _ you _ going?” Vima growled. 

“I just told you.” He strode off towards the shuttle, “Keep up, V.”

He stepped up into the shuttle bay, ignoring the furious glare he felt on the back of his head, and sat himself down on his familiar sleeping bench. Resting his head against the wall, he took a breath and looked over himself, checking for any of the irregularities that Vima had mentioned earlier. He deactivated the hydraulics in his legs and attempted to stand up on his own, resulting in a wobbly but still acceptable stance. 

“Okay, one down.” He had just started to lower himself back onto the bench when he heard the faint sound of voices outside. 

“-so he’s otherwise stable?” 

“I… think so? He’s better at least… I guess.” 

Gradum snickered to himself, realizing the “secret meetings” they’d held before weren’t as secure as he previously thought. 

“Still seems a little off, though. Did the med pick up anything else?” 

“I mean, uh… are his… his eyes are supposed to be like that, right?” 

He huffed bitterly, mumbling vague curses under his breath as he began to do some strengthening leg-lifts. 

“Implants. And yes they’re supposed to be like that, though they  _ have _ been trending a little brighter recently.” 

Gradum’s curiosity was piqued by this, and he pulled the sword from his back to examine his reflection in the dormant block of metal. His usually fair skin was slightly paler; far from unnaturally so, but still noticeable at just a glance. This quickly drew his attention to his eyes, which glowed in an even more vibrant blue than he’d ever seen while in an otherwise calm environment. 

“Huh. Weird…” He pulled the blade closer, tilting his head to get a better look at the blazing irises reflecting back at him. At the very center of his left pupil was a circle of much fainter blue light, filling the blackness that usually inhabited them. As he pulled away from the makeshift mirror to ponder where he acquired this new feature, he caught sight of a tiny object moving out of the corner of the image. He reflexively called on his visor for protection but was struck by another stabbing pain in the back of his neck. He fell limp onto the bench, feeling his consciousness being sapped away in an instant. 

Surrounded by the shadows of unlife once more, Gradum’s initial panic wore off quickly as a familiar rush of soothing feelings coursed through him. Within moments the humanoid shape had reappeared, its torso slightly more detailed this time, though the remainder of the body was just as vague and cloudy as when he had first seen it. Eager to fill out the features on the infuriatingly incomplete figure, he went to work plotting out what he’d want it to look like. 

It’s legs morphed to his whim, gaining or losing mass as he wished it until settling on a level of bulk that he felt was roughly proportional with the torso. Still not quite satisfied with the figure’s silhouette, a heavy fabric unfurled from its waist, forming a kind of armored skirt that hung down and concealed the length of the limbs. Another sting buried into his neck as the image of the legs became more clear to him, followed up by the expected wave of calm. 

“ _ Hmmm, a bit unorthodox... _ ” A gentle voice rang softly in his head, sending a chill of pride down his spine, “ _ Now hurry back _ .” 

Before he could try to locate the source of the voice, Gradum was struck with several more stings of pain as he was rocketed back into consciousness. 

“...fuckin’ goddammit!” He gasped for air and clawed at the back of his neck as he awoke, searching frantically for his attacker with his hands. Finding purchase on nothing but air and exposed skin, he tumbled out of his seat onto the floor below, looking back to try to spot what had hit him. His eyes scanned his surroundings urgently, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary anywhere. Content that he was alone, he rubbed his neck experimentally, checking for any sign that could help him discern what had happened. Still feeling nothing, he reactivated his leg hydraulics, grabbed his fallen sword from the ground, and pulled a combat knife from the still-open armory nearby. He held the two blades above his head to get a clear view of his neck in the reflection. 

“Mother…” Nothing. No puncture wound. No scar. Not even a stray pimple. His skin was as clear as the day he’d been born. The sound of chairs screeching came from behind him, quickly reminding him of where he was. He returned his sword to the spot on his back and slid the knife across his calf, securely adhering it to the metal with ease as he began to hear footsteps from nearby. Realizing that it would probably be best if he made himself look like he was in the middle of something, he ran to the still-open armory and set about fiddling with the various equipment aimlessly. 

“There a problem in here?” Vima’s voice boomed into the shuttle bay. 

“Ugh, can we go now?” Gradum threw his head back with a whine, “I want to be done with this shitty-ass forest!” 

“Well, when you put it that way…” Vima crossed his arms with a smirk, “I suppose it's about that time, then.” 

“Fucking  _ finally _ !” He fell to his knees and held up his hands in joy, hearing a similar cry of relief from just outside as well. 

“Alright, I get it, you two.” Vima chuckled heartily, “Get everything together so we can-“ 

“ _ Yes _ !” Gradum leaped back to his feet and sprinted past his brother, “Let’s get this show on the road before I fucking die of old age!” 

He immediately set to work gathering up the few stray boxes that were strewn about the landing site, taking little care to worry himself with the potential fragility of the contents as he tossed them into the cargo hold. Within just a few minutes, everything had been returned to the shuttle, leaving a long patch of torn-up terrain as the only remaining signs that anyone had been there. 

“Alright, let’s go!” Gradum vibrated excitedly as he stowed the folded-up meeting table into its compartment at the mouth of the hold, “Time’s a-wastin’!” 

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Cade...” Vima placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder and smiled warmly, “...which is why I know you’ll be extra excited for your assignment on the flight over!” 

All the joy drained from him instantly, filling the empty space with pure dread, “Why are you like this?” 

“Oh, don’t worry too much. It ought to be something you’re used to by now.” 

“What’s that supposed to...” He tilted his head in confusion, spotting Aleka over Vima’s shoulder bouncing in her seat excitedly, “You didn’t.” 

“Didn’t what?” Vima smirked, “You’ve still got a certain  _ agreement _ to live up to.”

“Sorry, Sam. I’ve had my fill of babysitting for today.” 

“Well, I just promised her that she’d be getting a very detailed, very engaging educational conversation with you on the way, sooo...” 

“ _ Well _ , she’s gonna be disappointed, then.” He huffed and brushed past his brother, stepping into the hold with a frown.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll manage. For your own sake.” Vima chuckled and followed closely behind him. 

“Tch, that supposed to be a threat?” Gradum scoffed and turned to make eye contact. 

“Yes. Yes, it is.” Vima nodded gingerly, “You’ve still got a whole lot of instruction ahead of you if you want a decent report, Grad. Might as well get it out of the way now.” 

“I…  _ hate _ …” Gradum intensified his gaze in fury, “ _ So much _ about the things that you choose to be.” 

Vima gave no reply, only flashing him a sparkling smile as he strode by him to the cockpit, leaving his brother to once again stew in his indignity. 

“Manipulative prick...” Gradum whipped around with a growl. As driven as he was to arrive at his destination, he still found himself feeling much more concerned with the upcoming interactions than anything else. Now starting to miss that obviously malicious synthetic and the excitement it brought him not even an hour ago, he stomped his way into the shuttle, full of petty dread and eager for a change of pace of any kind. 


	5. Turbulence

A soft rattling filled the air as loose cables jingled against the walls of the cargo hold, mixing with the dull tone droning in Gradum’s ears to form a perfect storm of blank-minded boredom. Though he was still upright with eyes wide open, he might as well have been dead, completely mentally untethered from the bland reality he had formerly inhabited. The universe itself seemed out of focus, blurring his five senses into one fuzzy mass of unfeeling emptiness. The absence of thought. The beauty of solitude. 

“So, how's it going back there, you two?”

The illusion was shattered. With one call over the loudspeaker his entire paradise had fallen, dragging him back to the bland, tedious world he had so willingly left behind. His senses began to clear as his mind processed the first piece of new auditory information it had received in so long, bitterly reminding him of where he was and who he was with. A lone figure came into view, sitting awkwardly on a bench just opposite his and looking down at her feet sadly. 

“Well?” The voice boomed over the speaker once more, “Getting anywhere?” 

Gradum’s face flushed as the rest of his senses returned, causing his memory to come crashing down on him with the realization of what he was supposed to be doing while he was spaced out. He reached over his shoulder and pressed the intercom. 

“Eh, I think it’s going pretty well if you ask me.” He forced a sneer, trying desperately to put his embarrassment aside. 

“Oh, really?” Vima scoffed over the speaker, “Aleka, can you verify this claim?” 

The cadet shrunk further into her seat, curling into a little ball as usual. Feeling a sudden abundance of confidence in her not telling their CO about their lack of conversation, he shot her a mocking smirk to intimidate her further. However, at the sight of this, he noticed her face began to contort in annoyance, causing her to unfold her body from the defensive ball and pound her fist onto the intercom on her respective side. 

“ _ No! _ ” She roared, making intense eye contact with a now-unsteady Gradum, “He hasn’t said a word  _ this entire time! _ ” 

His fear disappeared in an instant, leaving morbid fascination in its wake. A smile crept across his face as he met Aleka’s furious gaze, her face red with rage and her breath coming in short and heavy. He’d finally gotten a rise out of her. And he wasn’t even really intending to! 

“Alright, get up here, you two.” Vima sighed as the door to the cockpit slid open. 

Her glare did not let up, only increasing the victorious feeling building up in Gradum’s chest. He’d finally made some progress in his personal mission, and he was not about to let the achievement pass over him so lightly. 

“Hah,  _ tattletale _ .” He chuckled playfully as he rose to comply with his orders, leaving her with a confused expression as she recovered from her outburst. As he entered the cockpit, he was met with the sight of his brother flipping switches and swiping screens angrily. 

“Two hours, Caden. Two.  _ Hours _ !” Vima finished fiddling with the controls and swiveled his seat around to make fierce eye contact with his subordinate, “Not even  _ you _ can keep your trap shut for that long. What the hell’s going on with you?” 

“Pffft, that’s a loaded question.” Gradum mumbled and took a seat on the small bench opposite his interrogator, “Why’re you gettin’ all uppity, anyway? You know the policy on giving instruction.”

“Excuse me? What does that-“ He paused for a moment, then covered his face with his hands and sat back in his chair with a groan, “Goddammit, you’re right.” 

“I usually am. Yet people are always so shocked.” Gradum shook his head vainly. 

“Aleka?” Vima called into the hold with a disappointed expression, “You coming?” 

“...yes…” Her head hung low as she shuffled into the cabin and flopped into the co-pilot's seat next to her commander. 

“So… I’m to understand that he didn’t say  _ anything _ for the nearly two hours we’ve been flying?” Vima’s tone was unrelentingly soft as he leaned down to look her in her face. 

“That’s right…” She frowned at Gradum for a moment before returning his gaze. 

“Well, I certainly believe it.” He let out a small chuckle, “But, if you don’t mind my asking, did  _ you _ say anything to him during that whole time?” 

“I…” Aleka shuffled in her seat for a moment before looking back down at her feet, “Not really, no…”

“Ah.” Vima folded his hands together and rested his chin on them, “Well, that explains a lot.” 

“See? What did I-“ Gradum began. 

“ _Sssssssshut_ _it_.” He whispered sharply and returned his attention to Aleka, “Unfortunately, some of our more… outdated procedures insist that any non-essential inquiries can only be sanctioned if an instructor is _directly_ prompted by a trainee. To, quote, ‘prevent the dissemination of unnecessary information to under-qualified individuals.’” He sighed and gave a clearly forced smile, “And, despite the vagueness and obscureness of this rarely-applicable policy, some people seem to want to cite it when they deem it necessary…” He shot his brother an irritated expression. 

“Hey, I don’t make the rules,” Gradum shrugged, “Just because literally no one ever follows it because it’s dumb and archaic doesn’t mean I won’t abide by it.” 

“Oh yeah, I know how much you just  _ loooove _ the Motus Code of Conduct, Grad.” 

“You know, I’ve got a plaque on the desk in my office that says exactly that.” 

“You don’t own a desk.” 

“Eh, that’s not important.” He waved his hands dismissively. 

“Or an office, for that matter.” Vima tilted his head pensively, “Hell, you don’t even have a temporary residence on file. Come to think of it, do you even own  _ anything _ , Grad?” 

Gradum’s was hit with a rush of embarrassment. He knew his justification of his earlier behavior wouldn’t go over well, but even he didn’t expect Vima to get so personal with someone else nearby to hear it. Realizing his warming face was probably starting to visibly redden, he tried desperately to change the subject. 

“Again, not important. Stay on topic, V.” He folded his arms behind his head and sighed, “So, now that that’s out of the way, any sanctioned inquiries you would like to obtain from my gigantic brain?” 

“Oh, can I be included too?” Vima clasped his hands together pleadingly. 

“Uhhh, I guess s-” 

“Excellent! Let’s begin!” He shot Aleka a mischievous grin, causing a pit to form in Gradum’s stomach. This was not normal. Those two were plotting something. 

“God, why did I say that…” He muttered and held his face in his hands, “Fine, fire away.”

“Aleka? You first.” 

“Oh… uhh…” She shuffled in her seat with a smile tugging at her face, “Okay, uhh… your sword, I guess?” 

“Mmmm, nice and specific first question.” He sighed, “Care to throw me a single detail?” 

“Ummm-“

“How about a general rundown, Grad?” Vima cut in, “How’s it work, what’s it called, etcetera.” 

“Ugh, no one asked you.” Gradum mumbled under his breath, “Fine. He’s a super-old broadsword that I outfitted with modular pulse-wave generators and an elaborate, collapsible blade that would take way too long to break down for you. You’ve already seen how it works, and no it does not have a name, so don’t ask.” 

“Uhh, what?” Aleka’s face twisted in confusion, “You just said ‘he’ earlier…” 

“Ha! You wouldn’t shut up about that damn thing back in the day,” Vima shook his head with a laugh, “Told every living soul within earshot all about ‘Wi’ after you found him.” 

“It’s not ‘Wi’ anymo-“ Gradum barely managed to stop himself, holding back the wave of defensiveness that had come upon him. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. It’s ‘Will’ now, right?” 

“‘ _ William _ …’” He grumbled. 

“Ah. Of course.” Vima smiled with a frustrating amount of warmth and sincerity, “A fine name.”

“Why did, uh…” Aleka stuttered and cleared her throat, “Why’d you change it?” 

“Look, I really don’t wanna-“ Gradum began, pausing when he felt Vima’s stare bore into him, “Oh, whatever. Wi is dead. This is ‘Wi the Second,’” He retrieved the blade and pointed to the inscription on the pommel, which read  _ Wi II _ along the crossguard. 

“Ohhh, I get it.” She nodded confidently. 

“And Wi the Second turned into Will, which turned into Willy, which turned back into Will again, which turned into Wilhelm, which then turned into Wilson, and is now William.” He stopped for a moment to catch his breath before turning to his brother, “There. Happy?” 

“I…” Vima’s mouth hung open as he seemed to search for words, “Yes. Very good. Let’s move on. Aleka?” 

“Ummm…” She pondered, “What about that ‘breach’ thing you mentioned before? I still don’t get that…” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this was a goddamn interrogation.” Gradum scowled, “Need all the most intimate details of my personal life now? As if my file isn’t detailed enough.” 

“ _ Caden! _ ” Vima hissed with a scowl of his own. 

“What? This is barely instructional! She’s just asking about my personal shit!” Their eyes met once again, and once again Gradum was forced to relent, “Whatever. ‘Comity Breach.’ With a ‘t,’ mind you. Sword technique. Disarms and disables. Don’t use it often. Hurts like shit and it’s barely non-lethal. I leave it at that.” 

“Grad, you could at least describe the movements. It’s not even that complicated.” 

“Excuse me if I’m not thrilled to vividly describe a grisly combat maneuver to a child, Sam.” He growled. 

“G-grisly?” Aleka’s eyes darted between her superiors wildly, “I… But, you said it was nonlethal, and I thought-“

“Kid, beating somebody within an inch of their life with a stick is nonlethal.” He rolled his eyes dramatically, “Doesn’t make it pretty.” 

“Christ, Grad, just tell her.” Vima snapped, “And quit embellishing. We saw more ‘grisly’ stuff back in boot.” 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn ya…” Gradum shook his head, bringing up a mental play-by-play of the technique to ease his explanation, “Single-target. Basically, four deep cuts into the extremities, starting with the dominant foot, followed by the non-dominant. Then same principle with the hands. Whole idea is to predict what your oppon-“ He came back to reality for a moment, noticing the disappointed stares of his colleagues, “Yes? There a problem?” 

“Oh! No, I just, umm…” Aleka hugged her body defensively, “That just doesn’t sound as, uhh… brutal as you made it sound…” 

“Y’know, they always say that. It’s much nastier in action.” 

“It’s really not.” Vima smirked. 

“No one. Fucking. Asked you!” Gradum pounded on his leg in fury, glaring his best daggers at his brother. 

“Oh, don’t be like that. You’re the one that hyped it up that way.” Vima gestured at him with a chuckle, “In fact, as I recall, you literally came up with it specifically to  _ not _ be gruesome. An admirable intention, if you don’t try to sell it as bloody and nasty.” 

“Shut the fuck-“ He stuttered, desperate to find a decent comeback to such a benign statement, “Just, just, just… whatever. If crippling people isn’t macabre to you, that’s your problem.” 

“Ha, if you say so. Anything else, Aleka?” 

“I guess, uhhh…” She scratched the back of her neck, “What about your eyes?” 

Vima’s eyes widened as the color drained from his face, “Oh, no, I don’t think that’s a-“

“Tch, gettin’ personal now, huh?” Gradum frowned, “Implants. Connect to any suite on any compatible equipment. Let me do stuff hands-free.” 

“Is that why they, uh, change color like that?” She squinted and inquisitively made very direct eye contact. 

“ _ Yes _ , they also change color based on emotional state and mood.” He sighed, “A truly endless list of functionalities. Still hate ‘em. Next question.” 

“Hate them?” Aleka’s eyebrows rose with a concerned look, “Why do you have them, then?” 

Gradum clenched his jaw tight as he felt a twinge of sorrow cut into his stomach. Bitter memories began to flood his mind, blocking out any other thoughts he tried to formulate. A subtle red glow became visible in the corners of his vision.

“Aleka, this really isn’t the-“ Vima tried to butt in. 

“Oh,  _ now _ you wanna stop.” Gradum blurted out, unable to control the amount of venom he put into each word, “ _ Now _ the line’s been crossed?”

“I-“

A tremendous crash rocked the shuttle, nearly throwing each of them out of their seats. 

“Son of a bitch!” Vima spun around to take the controls once more, “The hell was that?” 

“I don’t know!” Aleka followed his example and pulled up a variety of screens, “Nothing’s showing up on scanners!” 

“Pfft, and you’re surprised by this?” Gradum growled and rose to his feet, holding his hand against the wall for stability. He pointed out the front windscreen, “Hold on. This an actual window or just a viewscreen?” 

“What?” Vima peered over his shoulder with an incredulous look, “Viewscreen! Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You fuckin’ kidding me?!” He slammed his fist on the wall, “Turn it off. Turn it off!” 

He received another confused look, but Vima complied. At the push of a button, the beautiful view of a peaceful cloud cover was replaced with a mass of grey and black, covered with dozens of flashes of bright blue that streaked across in all directions. 

“ _ Shit _ !” Vima froze in place, his eyes wide with shock. 

“You’ve been flying on tech this whole time?! When you  _ know _ that tech gets fucked with on this planet?!” 

“It’s… there’s not supposed to be any weather patterns here...” Vima stuttered, “I don’t-”

A second crash struck the shuttle, this time followed by a dense, metallic clunking sound from overhead, causing the lights in the cabin to flicker for a moment. 

“Something hit us!” Aleka covered her head with her arms. 

Gradum heard a rhythm of several smaller clunks sounding off from above, all but confirming the identity of what had hit them. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna go check that out.” He playfully slapped both of his associates' shoulders, “You two dumbasses keep us airborne, will ya?” 

Vima grabbed his hand before he could pull away, “Not by yourself, you’re not!” 

“I am  _ not _ taking her out there!” Gradum ripped his hand from his grasp, “Your turn to babysit!” 

“You’re not  _ taking _ anyone with you. I’m going with you.” 

Vima swiped his hand in a wide arc in front of him, sliding several holographic screens in front of where Aleka was seated. 

“ _ What?! _ ” She shrieked. 

“Mmm! Bad idea. One of your worst yet…” Gradum shook his head dismissively, unable to suppress the grin that quickly took over his face, “...let’s do it!” 

“ _ No! _ I-“ Aleka’s eyes darted around the cabin wildly, her voice suddenly more stern than usual, “I can’t fly this thing by myself! I-I already almost crashed it before!” 

“Of course you can!” Vima squeezed her shoulder supportively and pointed to the various controls that had appeared before her, “Just do what you did before. It’s very insistent when something is wrong, so just do what it says to fix it. Read the errors-“

“Alright, have fun with that. I’m headin’ out.” Gradum turned to leave the room. 

“Okay, in short, just follow what the UI says and use the comm if you need me, got it?” 

“ _ No! _ ” She pleaded. 

“You’ll be fine.” He assured her, his tone so heartfelt and supportive it began to make Gradum’s stomach turn, “You’re better at this than you know, Aleka.” 

“Take your time, V!” Gradum called as he stepped into the hold. 

“I’ll be on the comm if you need anything. You’ll do great!” Vima followed closely behind him, his face turning sour as soon as he was out of her line of sight. 

“Great pep talk, now let’s go!” He smacked the armory table, “Need anything? Better make it quick!” 

“Don’t wait up for me!” Vima stretched briefly before he began to clip equipment onto his bodysuit at a nearly inhuman speed. 

“Tch. Show-off.” Gradum grumbled as he fired the cord-thrower on his gauntlet into the bay door controls, prompting the usual blaring alarm as they began to creep open. Shutting his visor around his head, he stepped onto the extending boarding ramp and examined his surroundings. The entire world was nearly pitch black, illuminated only by brief flashes of lightning and the obscured lights of the shuttle’s engines. 

“Fuckin’ clouds…” He growled as he fired another cord at the ceiling of the hold, which attached itself firmly to the metal surface with ease. Gradum stepped back into the hold and, after a few experimental tugs on the wire still attached to his arm, dropped into a sprint before launching himself upwards with his suit’s hydraulic leg braces. Once the cord went taut, he gave himself a quick boost from his jump-jets and found himself skidding backward onto the roof of the vessel with little effort. 

“See anything?” Vima’s voice crackled roughly in the visor’s speakers, barely audible through screaming winds and comms interference. 

A smirk crossed Gradum’s face as he turned his head to the sight of two vivid slits of light blue glowing intensely in the impenetrable blackness, only catching brief glimpses of its form in the split seconds of illumination from the distant bolts of energy. After making sure his boots were properly magnetized to the surface, he began to take a few slow steps forward. 

“Hey, douchebag! Miss me?” He secured another cord from his arm to the roof for balance, “What’s up, Sac?” 

“ _ Information _ .” Saccron’s bassy voice rang in his head, sending a forceful chill down his spine. 

“Gra-a-ad?” The comm stuttered again as a still image of his brother appeared in the corner of his visor, “Respond.” 

Wanting to humor his guest, Gradum stared into the image for a second before blinking, causing the comms channel to open for him to speak, “Kinda? Thought I saw something crawl around to the underside.” 

“I’ll ch-ch-ch-eck it ou-“

“Be thorough. Looked small. I’ll do a full sweep up here, myself.” 

“Sounds go-o-o-od…” 

“I just bought you 67 seconds,” Gradum motioned over his shoulder as he closed the channel, ”And I get to talk first.” 

“ _ Very well _ .” Saccron’s eyes pulsed gently with the sound of his disembodied voice. 

“Okay, first of all, is the neck stabbing really necessary?” He pointed to the back of his neck, “Real fuckin’ unpleasant, asshole.” 

“ _ That was not my doing, Haeres. I have other such specific objectives. _ ” 

“You lie a lot, don’t you?” 

“ _ There were no inaccuracies in my statement. _ ” It began to step towards him slowly _.  _

Growing suspicious of its movements, Gradum pulled his pistol and aimed at the center of where he thought it’s forehead would be, “Don’t fuckin’ creep forward, we’re just talking here! And now we’re almost out of time, so get on with it!” 

It’s eyes pulsed again, much more brightly this time, “ _ Your ‘Annette’ is tuned for nonlethal action against your spongy, organic counterparts. Your threat is void. _ ” 

“I’m waiting!” He shook the gun with a whine. 

“ _ As you wish. _ ” It moved to the starboard side of the ship and peered over the edge, “ _ You have noted suspicions of your superiors motives. I will direct you to the objective of their conspiracy. _ ” 

“Even if I cared, that’s literally where we’re going right now, dumbass. Gotta do better than that.” 

“ _ There are additional points of interest for your investigation. Your companions could be in danger. _ ” 

“Again, not an investigation. And I don’t care.” 

“ _ Deception. _ ” Another pulse from its eyes, “ _ I know that you do. _ ” 

“Oh, so you’ve been doing some poking around up here.” Gradum raised an eyebrow and tapped his head with the side of the gun, “Which you had totally nothing to do with, right?” 

Before it could answer, Vima’s voice reappeared over the comms, “All clear down here. You?” 

“Great talk, Sac, but you blew it.” He shook his head with a chuckle before opening Vima’s channel to respond again, “Y’know, I’m glad you asked-“ 

A deafening blast of sapphire light arced down from above, and a massive explosion rocked the entire vessel, knocking Gradum off his feet and thoroughly disorienting him. The ship began to tilt until the port side was facing downwards, causing him to slide down the surface until he flew off the edge. The wire attaching him to the overturned vehicle wailed in agony as he dangled loosely in the air, barely avoiding the embers of burning metal and unspent fuel that raged mere feet away. Regaining his bearings, he began to scan his surroundings for Saccron, but could see no indication of his presence nearby. 

“Port engine down! Everyone alright out there?” An extremely confident voice called over the comm, giving Gradum an unusual feeling of assurance despite his hazardous situation. This feeling was followed by a sudden surge of confusion: he recognized the voice but the tone was all wrong. 

“Kid?” He inquired, unable to parse the thought of such a meager cadet being able to even remotely function in this situation. 

“Yes?” Aleka replied, still maintaining this self-assured tone, “Where are you?” 

“I’m, uh…” He tried to put words together despite the combination of unexpected and disorienting turns of events, “I’m good, how ‘bout you?” 

“I’m okay, too!” Vima chimed in, suddenly no longer plagued with the interference from before, “Little shaken up but I’m still here. Looked like a lightning strike. Are we going down?” 

“No, but I’d still recommend getting back inside before too long.” She instructed, “I’m reducing altitude just in case. Should get us back upright in a second.” 

“Yes, ma’am!” Vima’s every syllable seeped with an incredible amount of pride that it was almost sickening, “You hear all that, Grad?” 

“Ugh, unfortunately, yes,” He retched, “Also, kinda gonna be hard for me to do that at the present moment…” 

“What? Grad, where are you?” 

“You make these cord-things right? They can hold for a good while under pressure, right?” 

“Well, yes, but-“ 

“You fell off?” Aleka butted in, “How many cables did you attach? Are you hanging onto the side or dangling out there?” 

“Yes, one, and dangling.” He groaned, almost wishing for the sweet release of being struck by another bolt of the atmosphere’s sour temper, “And gettin’ a little cooked by this fucked up engine. Good times all around!” 

“Oh! Can you see it? What’s the damage like?” 

“Hah! I appreciate your concern.” Gradum couldn’t help but smile at her new-found nonchalance, “I’m in trouble too, by the way.” 

“Oh, stop bitching, I’m coming to get you.” Vima chided, “Might be a minute, though. Walking sideways is kinda hard at this altitude.” 

“Oh, yeah. No rush.” He scoffed bitterly as the shuttle slowly tilted back into the upright position.

“If we can assess the damage now, it’ll be easier to fix.” She stated matter-of-factly, “It’s not like you’re doing anything else right now.” 

“Just want to remind you that you are both still the  _ worst _ !” 

“Love you too, bro.” Vima laughed heartily. 

“And just for that, I’m going to specifically  _ not _ -“ Gradum began.

“ _ The fuel _ .” The soothing voice from his previous vision suddenly returned to his mind, “ _ Curious substance, isn’t it? _ ” 

Unable to resist, Gradum looked up at the blazing engine, noticing a distinct blue glow emitting from within the twisted metal and circuitry. Tiny luminescent drops of liquid sprinkled from the exposed fuel cell, each one audibly crackling as they raced past him into the thundering abyss. 

“Huh, that’s new-“

Another explosion rocked the ship, swinging him around violently and putting him directly in the path of the unusual fuel leak. Within only a few seconds, a single drop of the liquid had hit his life-saving cord, producing an icy sizzling sound as the wire snapped violently in an instant. For a moment, he was in free fall, watching the hull of the shuttle grow farther away inch by inch. He would be swallowed whole by the blackened abyss of an electrical storm of an alien world, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Just when he was beginning to make peace with this noble end, he felt his body twist around harshly and then halt so suddenly that his vision became blurred. 

“Gotcha!” Vima whooped triumphantly, “Sorry to keep you waiting!” 

“Fucking oww!” He howled as he felt his left leg being pulled out of its socket and looked down to inspect the cause, spying a thick wire wrapped around his left ankle. At the opposite end of the wire stood Vima’s bulky form, both of his feet planted firmly as he hung upside down on the overturned hull of the ship. 

“Yeah, sorry, I missed your waist.” Vima apologized, his voice still full of his trademark enthusiasm, “You’re lucky I caught you at all, bud! Visibility’s shit out here!” 

“Just pull me in or let me go, you bastard!” Gradum wailed as the pressure on his leg increased, “Let me die with all of my limbs attached!” 

“Oh, just turn your hydraulics back on and stop complaining. This might take a minute.” 

“Status?” Aleka inquired gingerly. 

“Reeling our dear Major in now.” Vima grunted as he pressed his arm against the hull, attaching the cord to the surface instantly, “Be back in a minute.” He grabbed the wire with both of his freed hands and began to haul the whining Gradum in little by little. 

“Oh, that’s goo-“ 

“ _ Sam! _ Hurry the fuck up before I shoot you in your big, stupid, chiseled goddamn face!” He flailed around in the air wildly, attempting to release all of his built-up frustration on the savage clouds that had wronged him so many times. 

“Again, love you too bud, but if you’d just stop moving, this would go faster!” 

“ _ Whyyyyyyy?! _ ” He bellowed, releasing the last of his anger all at once. He then relaxed his body, crossing his arms in irritation as he was slowly reeled in. 

“Much better! Thank you!” Vima sighed. After a minute of reeling, he was finally within his brother’s reach, and he felt a hand grab his foot, “Alright, now help me out here...” He reached his other hand out, no doubt beckoning Gradum to grab it with his own. 

“Finally!” He huffed as he obliged, allowing Vima to pull him in against his body. Once their hands touched, the world seemed to slow to a crawl. Confused, he tried to move but found he was completely frozen as well. A flash of blue shot through the air, illuminating a very familiar tall, grey figure standing mere inches behind his brother. Its slit eyes pulsed with an intense sapphire glow, and its frame was lit with thousands of thin cracks of similar light. It regarded Gradum with its usual blank face-plate for a moment, then laid its left hand delicately onto Vima’s shoulder. Gradum tried desperately to warn his unwitting sibling, but could only shut his eyes as Saccron’s body jerked forward with a sickening crunch. Horrified, he slowly opened his eyes, his stomach twisting at the sight of a clawed metal hand pierced through his brother’s chest. 

“ _ I don’t care. _ ” Gradum’s own voice repeated in his mind. Still dripping with viscera, its hand reached up and grasped Vima’s slackened face, squeezing it until it too flowed with red liquid. 

“ _ I know that you do. _ ” It rumbled as another flash blinded him. 

“Other hand, too, Grad.” Vima groaned. 

Gradum’s vision returned to him, as did the flow of time. There stood his brother before him, completely intact and not injured in the slightest. Relieved but still shaking with shock, he grabbed Vima’s other hand with his own, allowing him to pull him to safety against his body. 

“Damn, that really shook you up, huh?” Vima hugged Gradum closer to his body as he let go of the cord that had once connected them, “I’m sorry, Cade, I thought we were just-“

“I’m fine.” He replied, trying to keep his voice from breaking, “Let's just get back inside.” 

“Good idea!” Vima chuckled with the exact kind of warmth Gradum had learned to hate throughout his life, but, this time, instead of annoyance, all he could feel was a sort of heartfelt comfort. He allowed himself to relax for a few seconds until he'd at least somewhat regained his composure. 

“Everything okay?” Aleka asked, her voice shaking slightly. 

“In a manner of speaking.” Vima cleared his throat nervously and looked around, “I’ve got him. On my way now.” 

“Is there a problem?” 

“No, no! Don’t worry about us, you keep doing whatever you’re doing.” His head continued to dart around wildly. 

Gradum felt his stomach turn, dispelling the comfortable feelings he’d been half-heartedly enjoying, “You don’t know how to get us back there, do you?” 

“Shhhh!” He hissed at him. 

“Okay!” Aleka sang with clearly forced enthusiasm, “I’ll just… ugh, hold on…” Muffled retching sounds whispered over the comm, followed by a string of coughs. 

Feeling a wave of concern come over him, Gradum decided to chime in, “Uh, kid?” 

“Sorry…” Her breathing was heavy as she cleared her throat incessantly, “I’m good now! Down one barf bag though…” 

“Alright, hold tight. We’ll just be a minute.” Vima assured her, before turning to Gradum, “Yeah, we’ve got 90 seconds until she loses the rest of her edge. You good to move on your own?” 

“Pfft, you have to ask?” He scoffed as he also started to look around himself, trying to figure out a way to get back to the open bay doors that couldn’t have been more than 15 feet away from him, “How, uhh… how are we gonna do this?” 

Even though both of their faces were completely covered, he could still tell Vima was smiling. Without saying a word, he felt him grab his forearm and slap a small device onto it. 

“Hey, what’re you-“

Vima pointed the arm at the far edge of the hull and squeezed the device, launching a cord that was much thicker than average that adhered instantly. Before Gradum could protest, the line began to reel in rapidly, ripping him through the air and slamming his arm into the metal surface. 

“Ah, shit, sorry about that. Little too fast.” 

“Goddammit! Warn me next time!” He roared as he reached around to grab the edge of the entrance to the hold. 

“Hold the door for me, Grad!” Vima laughed as he made his way towards him, launching similar cords at the hull near his feet, then attaching the other end to his hips as he walked forward. 

“Ugh, you made these yourself, didn’t you?” Gradum groaned as he tried to pull free from the device locking his arm to the hull. 

“Some of my finest work yet!” He stopped briefly to give a thumbs up, “You like it? Double the tensile strength on top of the controllable retractio-“ 

“The hell is this made of?! There some kind of release switch or something?” 

“Course not, dummy!” He laughed again as he neared the struggling Gradum, “What use is a binding that can be released by the bound target?” 

“Make it let go or get over here faster!” Gradum snarled and slammed his fist into the metal above him, “This day was already shitty enough without your piece of shit toys!” 

“That’s ‘military R&D’ to you, Major!” Vima reached for his gauntlet and pressed a button on the side. “Now hold onto something.” 

“Wait, not y-“ A soft click sounded from the device on his arm as it unclamped from him, leaving all of his weight on his other hand that was only loosely grasped on the edge of the hold. After a few seconds of flailing, his newly freed hand had found purchase as well. Once he had pulled himself to safety, he lied still on the floor to catch his breath, letting the sensation of gravity pulling him against a solid floor wash over him. Cold steel had never felt so comfortable. 

“Nap on your own time, soldier!” Vima barked playfully over the comm, “But seriously, go check on her, please? She ought to be about burned out by now.” 

“Sir, yes sir…” He groaned and dispelled his headgear to rub the bridge of his nose. He turned his head towards the open door to the cockpit, “Hey, kid! How’re… you…” His heart shot into his throat at what he saw there. 

He could see her sitting plainly in the pilot’s seat, her head darting across the various displays in front of her wildly. Behind her to her left stood a single grey figure adorned with cracks filled with blue, towering over her with a hand resting on her shoulder as it stared out the front windscreen. Gradum leaped to his feet and sprinted towards the cabin, but felt his legs suddenly give way after a single step, reacquainting him to the floor with a thud. 

“ _ Such a brittle thing, this one. _ ” The calm voice returned with a somber sigh, “ _ Hardly a fit for this kind of work, hmm? _ ” 

Unable to move his legs at all, Gradum began to desperately drag himself across the ground, but quickly felt the energy leave his arms as well. He was now completely immobilized, frozen in a hopeless heap on the floor, incapable of protecting anything, let alone himself. 

“ _ Dreadful. The sanction for this one’s innocence will be steep. _ ” The figure turned to look over its shoulder, it’s familiar slit eyes pulsing with a faint humming sound, “ _ He will find no clemency in the river of wailing, I assure you. As for her… _ ” A hand appeared from just out of Gradum’s view on Aleka’s right side, decidedly human, but clad in a metallic glove with only the palm exposed. It reached out and brushed a single loose strand of her hair behind her ear, “ _ I do hope she finds her fire… _ ” It caressed her cheek and disappeared out of view once more.

“ _ My previous offer stands. _ ” Saccron’s voice ground its way into his head, much more resonant than before, “ _ Our patience grows thin. _ ” It released Aleka’s shoulder and went to follow the lone hand, pausing only to scrape a single line into the center of its forehead with its finger before also stepping out of Gradum’s sight. 

An overwhelming feeling of numbness crept up from his feet to the rest of his body. He felt the back of his neck burn as the fiery numbness traveled up his spine and into his head, blurring his vision and distorting his other senses. Within seconds it had begun to pull at the seams of his consciousness and, before he could materialize even a single thought, he was out again. 


	6. Desirous

A heavy thunk shook the ground, striking Gradum with a sudden rush of adrenaline that cut through his unconsciousness. 

“Caden?” 

Still dazed, he tried to stand up, but could only groan meekly as his body refused to cooperate. 

“Caden!” 

Though his mind was scrambled, he knew Vima’s big brother voice anywhere. He pushed out another pained groan as he heard the footfall of a concerned sibling approach him. 

“Jesus, what happened? Caden?”

A powerful gloved hand gripped his shoulder and turned him onto his side, allowing Gradum to put all the remaining energy in his body into shooting Vima an extremely tiny scowl. 

“Oh thank god! You’re not dead.” Vima sighed as he slid an arm under his back and knees, lifting him up with a dramatic grunt. 

“...you…” Gradum gasped as he managed to force out a few agonized syllables, “...don’t fuckin’ bridal carry me… you ass… hole…”

“Sorry, bud.” Vima shook his head and laid him down gently onto a nearby bench, “No time for bedside manner right now. Back in a minute.” He patted Gradum’s shoulder with a reassuring nod and strode off towards the cockpit. 

“No… wait… something’s in…” Gradum’s voice came in a pained whisper through gritted teeth. Though he could feel the control of his body slowly returning to him, it was still too little to warn his brother of what he’d seen lurking in the cabin. His consciousness was beginning to fade again, leaving him helplessly clinging to his bench as the shuttle rattled in the vicious storm. Expecting that a swift death was imminent, he allowed it to overtake him, melting into the seat as the last of his cognition left him. 

As soon as his eyelids touched, he awoke with a start, rocketing himself into an upright position to survey his surroundings. He was exactly where he had been left by Vima, but the view out of the bay doors was a clear, sunny day in what looked like a grassy plain. Now thoroughly disoriented, Gradum laid himself back onto the bench and massaged his temples to ward off the headache he knew was fast approaching. Before he could relax for long, he heard heavy footsteps coming from just behind him, causing him to sit up once again as he pulled his pistol. As he turned his body to point it at the incoming threat, he felt his gun be caught in the intense grip of a much larger hand. 

“Nice to see you too, bud!” Vima laughed heartily as he pushed the arm back down to Gradum’s side, “No need for that. Everything’s fine. An excellent landing by our capable pilot here!” He motioned to the cabin proudly. 

“Wow. Fantastic.” He grumbled as he resumed massaging his aching head, “I’m so glad you’re finally branching-“ He paused as he processed what he’d just heard, “Wait… she did this?” 

“Bet your scrawny little ass she did!” Vima whooped and clapped his hands, “Didn’t even need me! Well… mostly. But still!” 

Horrible retching sounds began to stream out of the cockpit, followed by loud bouts of coughing, “Ughhh, whyyyy…” 

“Uhh, that her?” Gradum leaned over to try to peek around the corner of the door to the cabin. 

“Yeah, she’s fine. Just some, uh…” He scratched his neck for a moment to ponder his choice of words, “Sometimes the panic catches up with her after a while. Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing new. I packed extra rations for just this reason.” 

“Fine, whatever. Where are we?” 

“We’re about halfway to the site now. Just stopping for some repairs and a little break while we’re at it.” He looked Gradum up and down with an inquisitive look, “You feeling okay? Weren’t looking so hot before…” 

“Yeah, well not all of us were so blessed as you to come into this world as ruggedly handsome garbage.” Gradum rolled his eyes. 

“Hilarious. Now, can you walk?” Vima sighed. 

“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you hop on back there and go comfort little Miss Airhard and leave me alone?” 

“Because I have to go start the repair right now. So why don’t  _ you _ go do that while you’re still ‘waking up.’” He slapped Gradum on the shoulder and strolled away out of the back of the hold, stopping for a moment to call over his shoulder, “Also it’s ‘Earhart,’ for your information!” 

“Fucking nerd!” Gradum shouted back, his voice unintentionally taking on a slightly playful tone. Realizing this, he swung his legs over while grumbling to himself, testing his balance as he stood back up. Surprisingly, he had no issues staying upright this time, “Ugh, finally.” 

Aleka was still hurling in the other room, urging him to go see her. He wasn’t sure for what purpose, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. 

“How we doin’ up here?” He poked his head into the cabin. 

“Urgh… yeah I-“ She stopped to hurl again. She was kneeling on the floor in the corner of the room, her head pressed firmly into a small open bag that laid just in front of her, “Sorry…”

“Jesus, is anything even coming up anymore?” Gradum shook his head, stunned at the consistency of the awful sounds that filled the room. 

“Nooo…” She whimpered with another gag. 

“Well don’t take too long. Lot’s of stories to tell, shit to repair.” He shrugged and leaned against the doorframe, “By the way, while we were up there, you didn’t happen to see anyon-“ He was quickly interrupted by another bout of heaving, “Yeah, nevermind I’ll catch you outside.” He turned to leave but stopped himself for just a moment, “Hey, kid?” 

“...y-yess?” Aleka muttered in between coughs. 

“I, uhh…” He stopped to think, but only sighed when he couldn’t come up with anything that wasn’t sappy, “Nice flying…” 

She spat one more time onto the bag before turning to look at him, her eyes wide with what looked like gratitude, “T-thank you…” Her voice shook, though this time it was clearly not from the vomiting. 

Content with this single display of basic human decency, he nodded with confidence and tapped the doorframe as he exited the cockpit. As he stepped out into the sun-soaked soil, he paused for a moment to take in his surroundings. The sun was shining, the grass was shimmering, the air was clear and quiet. Yet, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He inhaled slowly, trying to gather some of the relaxing aromas of nature to calm his nerves. Nothing. Only the faint scent of smoke and burnt metal filled his nose, leading Gradum to put the remaining dots together in his head. The air wasn’t clear, it was absolutely still. It wasn’t just quiet, it was completely, utterly silent. The grass did not sway with the breeze, the birds were not singing in the trees, the wind did not whistle in his ears. It was as if the entire world was barren. Bereft of life. Dead. 

“Guess this is new for all of us…” Vima murmured from behind him, his voice full of sorrow, “I almost preferred that storm.” 

“It’s just so… empty.” Gradum shook his head gloomily, “Does anything even live here? How is there not even any wind?” When Vima did not respond, he decided to press the question, “I know that you know, Sam. Don’t have to keep up whatever bullshit act the old man put you up to.” 

“We’re not having this discussion again.” Vima sighed. 

“Uh-huh,” Gradum huffed as he turned around and spotted Vima sitting on top of the shuttle, busily working away at the smoking port engine. 

“Not even I know everything, Caden. This is all just as new to me.” 

“Oh, so everything fucked up that’s been going on is new to you?” Gradum stomped towards him and tilted his head to get a peek at the sparking engine, “What about that? Is that new to you? They fill up the tank with some shit that even you don’t know about?” 

“What was that?” Vima immediately stopped working and turned to face him. 

“That blue shit. Burned right through a cord in less than a second. A single drop, at that.” He held up one finger and waved it in the air, “You mean to tell me-“ 

“Did any get on you?!” Vima gasped and leaned over the side towards his brother, his face fraught with worry.

“Whoa, chill out! God!” Gradum held his hands up defensively, “Pretty sure I’d have more holes in me if it had, dumbass.” 

“Oh… yeah, you’re right…” 

“The hell is that stuff, anyway? The fuel supposed to sparkle and melt shit like that?” 

“It’s… experimental…” Vima cleared his throat awkwardly, “And temperamental. Don’t touch any of it, please?” 

“See, now I do wanna touch it.” He grinned mischievously. 

“Not now, Grad.” Vima sighed and got back to work, “We’re only taking a break so Aleka can recuperate a bit. Not so you can dick around.” 

“I don't see why we can’t have both.” Gradum crosses his arms smugly, “Can you hurry it up? I wanna be done with this shithole soon.”

“Why don’t you go find something useful to do, then?!” Vima snapped at him, ripping a metal plate off the engine in anger, “No one’s keeping you here!” 

“Ha! There’s an idea, V! Why didn’t... I...“ He paused as a very subtle tone began to ring in his head, twisting his stomach into a firm knot and pulling the pounding of his heartbeat into his ears. Feeling the blood rush away from his head, he stumbled forward and braced himself on the shuttle’s hull. 

“Grad?” 

“Fuck me…” He breathed, looking up at his concerned brother to reply, but instead found that something else caught his eye. Behind the torn panel shined a faint blue glow, pulsing in time with the heartbeat that hammered away in his ears. Within a second, the glowing had become much more intense, producing a low resonant humming that grew louder until Vima slammed the plate back into place over the exposed area. Gradum’s ailments slowly began to dissipate, leaving him still leaned over with his head resting against the hull. 

“Shit, are you alright?” Vima yelped, his voice wrought with worry. 

“Fuckin’...” He gagged as his speech recovered, “What the fuck was that?!” 

“Dammit, I’m sorry!” Vima grabbed a blowtorch from his side and rushed to seal the panel in place, “I didn’t have this thing secured right...” 

“Not the fucking panel!” He smashed his fist against the hull, “What the fuck was in there?!”

“Sorry! I told you it’s temperamental!” 

“What does that… Oh, never fucking mind!” Gradum roared and stormed off, doing his best to cover up the fact that he was still feeling horrible. Once he thought he was out of view, he sat down and rested his back against the side of the ship as the sickly feeling gradually faded away. 

“Still want to touch it, Grad?” Vima called from behind him with a chuckle. 

Before he could think of an impassioned reply, he spotted a head poking around from the side of the shuttle. 

“Are you okay?” Aleka asked, her eyebrows raised in some mix of confusion and worry. 

“Ugh, look who’s talkin’.” He mumbled with a hard swallow, “Go be useful and tell that broad-shouldered bitch that you’re good now. Let’s get a move on.” 

“Umm, okay…” She shrugged and stepped away, only to poke her head back in for a moment, “Do you need any, uhh… I’ve got some water over there if you-“

“Oh, just go! God…” He huffed, clutching his stomach as it slowly untangled itself. He closed his eyes to take some deep breaths and by the time he looked back she was gone again, finally allowing him to suffer in peace. It wasn’t long before the discomfort became bearable, allowing him to stand back up and return to his associates. 

“Grad!” Vima shouted from the roof of the vessel, “Get over- oh, nevermind.” He stopped himself once he noticed Gradum nearby, “Good, you’re here. I’ve got some good news!” 

“Actual good news?” He crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl, “Or shit news that you like?” 

“This seal is going to take a while to bind, so I figured we could pass the time by picking up where we left off earlier!” 

“Mmmm no.” Gradum stared at his brother intensely, praying that he’d just drop the topic right there. 

“Aleka, any more questions?” Vima continued without even acknowledging the death stare he was receiving, “We’ve got time.”

“I’m, uhhh...” Aleka sat down on the shuttle’s boarding ramp and hugged her knees, “I’m still kinda scrambled from… earlier… I don’t think I-“ 

Whatever she said next was blocked out by the resonant ringing that suddenly sounded in Gradum’s ears. At first it seemed identical to the earlier sound that had made him so sick to begin with, but he quickly noticed that this was slightly different. This noise, rather than being completely overwhelming and untraceable, was significantly weaker and was clearly coming from somewhere specific. He looked around, noticing that the intensity of the ringing depended on the direction he faced, varying from nearly silent to deafening. The need to investigate the source of the noise became overwhelming, and Gradum opted to first check the general direction that was accompanied by the softest sound. 

“I’m gonna go for a walk now. Bye.” He nodded and went on his way. 

“-and that’s… what?” Vima stumbled over his words, “What’re you… where do you think you’re going?” 

“For a walk.” 

“What the hell for?” 

“Well,” Gradum turned back to face him, “I’m certainly not getting any personal enrichment here.”

“Take her with, then. Should do you both some good.” He smiled reassuringly at both of them, seemingly not realizing the implication of his statement. 

“Pfft, what’s that supposed to mean?” 

“That you’re going to bring her with you.” While Vima’s mouth was still smiling, his eyes held a piercing stare, daring his brother to defy him, “A good old-fashioned walk-and-talk never fails to motivate me.” 

“Ha!” Gradum shook his head dismissively, “Well, that’s too bad cuz I’m not you, V.” 

“Ah, I’m so glad to hear you say that, Caden.” He nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact once, “Maybe once you start to accept this fact, you’ll find your life that much more gratifying.” 

A hot mixture of anger and shame washed over Gradum, leaving his mind scrambling for any kind of reply as he did everything he could to block out the actual meaning behind Vima’s words. Completely unable to parse any way to continue the conversation, he instead opted to turn himself back around and resume his walk. He made it only a few steps before he was interrupted again. 

“Wait for her, please.” Vima sighed with exasperation, which prompted another wave of indignation to flow through Gradum’s body, his subconscious making him eerily aware of the pistol strapped to his side. 

“No.” He rolled his eyes and kept walking in defiance. 

“You know what? Let me put it this way, Grad. Either you can tell her about yourself, or I will.”

This caught his attention, “Excuse me?” He called over his shoulder. 

“Y’know, Aleka, I’ve always really admired that wonderful, dark, scruffy hair of his. Do you relate?” 

“I… what?” She stuttered in confusion, “Yes? I guess?” 

“Where are you going with this…” Gradum whispered to himself as he turned to face them. 

“All this admiration, and yet, for years I always seem to forget to ask you where you get your hair dye product from.” Vima shook his head mockingly. 

He finally understood what was happening, but, unfortunately for him, Aleka realized it before he did. 

“Wait. Dye?” She tilted her head and turned her attention directly to him, “Why does… why does he need dye?” 

“Okay that’s enough.” He tried to butt in, but they both seemed to ignore him. 

“You see, he’s never really been a fan of his natural color. Thinks people won’t take him seriously.” Vima sighed disapprovingly. 

“That’s enough!” He began to stomp back towards them at an increasing pace. 

“Really?” Aleka’s voice rang with shock, “What was it before that was so bad?” 

“Honestly, I always thought it really matched his complexion perfectly,” Vima’s every word was dripping with complete sincerity, “Pretty much exactly the kind of tone you’d expect to go with-“ 

“Don’t answer that!” Gradum whispered through clenched teeth, pointing to Vima threateningly as he arrived back at the shuttle. 

The colonel seemed to comply at first, shortly before leaning forward slightly, “Strawberry blonde…” He whispered sharply. 

“Awwww!” Aleka cooed as her face lit up, “I love it! What’s wrong with that?” 

“Motherfucker…” Gradum muttered. The shame had returned tenfold, leaving him standing in humiliation as the other two carried on with their mockery. 

“I’m really not sure.” Vima continued, “Not one person ever brought it up until he changed it. Hell, I never even used to notice.” His eyes suddenly widened in excitement, “Oh! That actually reminds me of this other time where he-“ 

“Alright, kid! Let’s go!” Gradum slapped Aleka on the shoulder and hurried back onto his previous route. When he didn’t hear her follow, he twisted his body around to look at her, “Double-time it! Christ…” 

She finally seemed to catch on, launching herself forward into a jog to close the distance faster. Content with this, he sighed heavily and continued on his way. 

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Vima muttered, barely within the earshot of Gradum, who’s eyes once again drifted towards the gun still holstered on his person. 

“Shithead…” He grumbled, brushing off his flaring emotions to allow him to better concentrate on tracking the mysterious ringing he still heard nearby. He enjoyed nearly a full minute of silence in the deadness of the woods before it was cruelly broken by his subordinate. 

“Huh…” Aleka chirped from just behind him. 

“You better have a damn good reason for shattering my zen, kid.” He growled, refusing to look back at her at all. 

“It just makes so much sense now!” 

“What?” 

“I couldn’t tell what was off about you before,” She explained sourly, “But now I get it.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, that’s so not your hair color.” She snickered, “Really sticks out.” 

“Ugh, why did I even ask?” He sighed and massaged his forehead gently. 

“Your natural color would work way better. I can tell. Definitely the most distracting thing about your face at least.” 

“Gee, thanks.” 

“No really!” She insisted, seemingly earnest in her tone, “It’s way more noticeable than the eyes, even.” 

“That’s not…” Gradum stopped as he felt a sudden twinge of self-consciousness, “Why do you think I… When the hell did you get so talkative?” 

“Huh, I don’t know.” She shrugged and pondered for a moment, but quickly turned her attention to his face, “But seriously, that color doesn’t match your eyes at all. Especially not the blue it’s in right now-“ She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, “Oh wow, brown works much better actually.” 

He immediately spun back around to avoid her gaze, silently reprimanding himself for letting his embarrassment overwhelm him so easily. 

“Sorry, was I staring?” Her voice shook slightly with what sounded like shame, “I didn’t mean to. It’s just so hard to see through all the hair…” 

Gradum sighed in exasperation and continued his stroll, “Yup, that's the idea, kid. Now shut it.” 

“Do… do they always change that fast?” 

“I said shut it.” He snapped at her. 

“Please? I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the walk!” She pleaded. 

“What is your problem?” He whipped around to face her, “Why all this personal shit? Where’s all the procedural horseshit and the equipment loadout nagging?” 

“I already know all the procedural horse, uh… shit…” She swallowed hard as she barely choked out the last word, “I have it all practically memorized by now. Might as well learn something actually new, right?” 

“Fine.” He let out another sigh, “Fine! But only if you promise to shut the fuck up.” 

“Yes, sir!” She stood up straight and saluted confidently, bringing an intense, uneasy feeling to Gradum’s stomach. 

“Don’t-“ He held up his hand to stop her, but decided it wasn’t worth it, “Nevermind. Pay attention because you will hear this exactly one time.” 

“Okay!” Her eyes sparkled with freakish anticipation as she very subtly bounced on her heels.

“Would you just-” He looked her up and down suspiciously, “The fuck did this come from?”

“What?”

“Just, just, just…” He reached out and grabbed both of her shoulders to hold her still for a moment, “Stay. Still. Please.” 

“Oh, sorry.” 

“Ugh,” He released her and sighed deeply before pointing one finger to his face, “They change color to match intense emotional shifts. Experimental shit for prisoners and test subjects. Let’s ‘em know exactly how you feel about a certain something or someone without needing to even ask. Throw in some basic body language analysis and they can tell how you’re feeling better than you can.” 

“Huh…” She pondered for a moment, “I’ve never heard of that before.”

“And now you have.” He nodded firmly and turned back around to go on his way again, “Now shut it.” 

“Why do you have them if they’re for prisoners and test subjects?” 

Gradum stopped and threw his head back in exasperation, “Ever taken steel girder shrapnel to the face before, kid?” He looked over his shoulder at her with a scowl. 

“I… what?” She looked taken aback by his words. 

“Good for you. Keep it that way.” He huffed and resumed his walk. The ringing in his head dissipated quickly, leaving only a humming sound that pulsed gently like a heartbeat. Whatever he was being drawn to, it was close. Desperate to get rid of the anchor that had followed him this far, he examined his surroundings carefully until a small cave came into his view just a few feet from him. He found himself struck with a sudden idea, “Oh, shit!” He gasped and flattened himself against the rocky surface. 

“What?” Aleka did just the same, whipping her head around to find what he supposedly saw. 

Gradum grinned, very glad she was at least gullible enough to listen to even him at this point, “You don’t hear that? Look!” He whispered sharply and pointed to the sky dramatically. 

“No! What is it?” She continued her search but still did not see their imaginary attacker. 

“In that cave, now!” He motioned to the cavern to his left, “Don't be bird bait! I’ll go scope it out.” 

“Bird? But, didn’t you say-“ 

“No time!” He gestured more animatedly and shot her his best serious-face. 

“Oh, fine…” She crouched down and crawled into the cavity with a sour look on her face. 

Once she was out of sight he breathed a heavy sigh of relief, “Ahh, kids these days.” He stretched his arms for a moment and continued to track his target. 

Within just under a minute of walking, he felt a deathly chill run down his spine followed by a mild pain in his neck. Recognizing this as a sign, he halted immediately and scanned around him to find his goal. Everything looked fairly standard, save for a small open hole in the ground a few dozen feet away from him. As he approached, the humming became more and more intense before disappearing completely as he made visual contact with what he’d been searching for, “Holy...” 

Hundreds of tiny blue, vein-like structures were strewn about the length of the pit, each a slightly different size and orientation. Light pulsed through each vein with a lagging rhythm like the slow heartbeat of a hibernating predator. Throughout the system of tendrils crackled minuscule sparks of electricity, jumping between a set of a dozen small crystalline structures that laid randomly atop the web of flashing azure. Gradum was already thoroughly enamored with this sight, but, upon closer inspection spotted a gleaming pool of similarly blue liquid sitting motionlessly at the very bottom of the hole. 

He stepped back awkwardly from the pit as a powerful rush of icy cold gnawed through his suit and chewed at the skin beneath, knocking him off his feet and onto the freezing ground below, “Shit that’s cold!” He hissed as he crawled away from the hole as quickly as he could. Once he reached a comfortable distance, he rose back to his feet and stared into the mysterious pool with newfound curiosity, “What the hell are you?” 

The pool rang with a series of pops and whirrs, complete with the toll of a constant chiming sound that echoed over the beat of a solemn hum, not unlike the one Gradum had heard earlier. It seemed to be giving off a combination of sounds that he’d heard during his search, much to his dismay. Before he could inch any closer to get another look at the substance, his comm suddenly came to life with a horrible static noise. 

“Out of my sight for nine minutes and your temperature drops 20 degrees?” Vima’s voice forced its way through layers of interference, “Catching super-hypothermia out there again, Cade?” 

“Yup!” Gradum replied gingerly, “Think I found some more ‘experimental fuel’ over here.” 

“Ha, that’s not… wait what?!” 

“You heard me.” He huffed, “Buncha sparky blue shit over here. That mean anything to you?” 

“Do not move. I’m on my way now.” Vima’s voice carried a deep concern that only he could deliver so soothingly. 

“Great. Can’t wait.” He grumbled bitterly. 

“Get at least 20 meters away from it until then. Tell her, too.” 

“Ugh, you do it. She’s out of earshot right now.” Gradum hummed to himself proudly. 

“What? Grad, where’s Ale-“ 

“Asshole!” A guttural scream sounded off from just behind him. 

“Oh, there she is now!” He chuckled, “Call you back, V.” He turned around to meet an extremely enraged Aleka stomping towards him with devout purpose. 

“Why?!” She snarled, “What was that?!” 

“Ah, ha! I’m glad you asked.” He grinned widely, “That was a test! A test that you failed. Like really badly.”

“A test?” She leered at him as she closed in, “For what?!” 

“Ground rule number two, kid!” He waved two fingers in the air, “‘Member that one?”

“I did! Which is why I tried to bring it up!” 

“And ya did it anyway.” Gradum shook his head dramatically, “You knew not to hide in a cave to escape birds and ya jumped in one anyway.” 

“What was I supposed to do, exactly?” She jabbed a finger at him as she stopped inches from him. 

“Uh, not that? Duh.” 

“You told me to!” She shrieked. 

“And where did that get you?” He crossed his arms smugly as he realized he could finagle an actual lesson into his vain attempt to ditch her. 

She said nothing, only intensifying her glare in reply. 

“Startin’ to get where this is going, kid?”

“Unfortunately.” She took a step back, still maintaining the ire of her gaze. 

“Mhmmm,” He nodded, “In short, don’t do stupid shit that doesn’t sound right just because someone tells you to. Especially if that someone is some puffy asshole giving you ‘orders.’” 

“I… what?” She tilted her head, draining much of the anger from her face, “The first part kinda made sense but that last part?” 

“I never follow orders exactly, kid. Only reason I’m as cool as I am!” He puffed out his chest and opened his comm again, “Right, V?” 

“Huh?” Vima gasped, “I don’t endorse whatever he just said!” 

“Thanks, man.” Gradum wiped a non-existent tear from his eye and gestured to the chirping pool behind him, “Anyway, check this shit out!” 

“Whoa…” She breathed and began to approach the pit.

“Did I mention not to get closer?” Vima chimed in uneasily, “Is she getting closer to it? Sorry, it sounded like she was…” 

“Your powers of perception are frightening.” Gradum rolled his eyes and grabbed Aleka’s arm before she could get any closer, “You heard him. Bossman says to stay back.” 

“What is that?” She backed up and wrestled her arm out of his grasp. 

Vima let out a long groan, “Well, guess it’s about time, then…” 

“Get on with it, V.” Gradum sighed with exasperation. 

“That… is Thalzon...” Vima enunciated each syllable with the utmost care, “Incredibly energetic substance. Holds a potent static charge. Just… please stay put until I get there.” 

“Keep going,” Gradum growled.

“I… look, I’ll be there in just-“ 

“No.” He snapped as irritation began to mount in his chest, “You can talk now.” 

“Hey, are you…” Aleka tried to butt in but stood down with a shocked expression as he shot her a deathly serious glare. 

“Go.” He clenched his jaw, “On.” 

“Well, it’s uh…” Vima’s voice began to shake slightly, “It’s very very cold, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now. Also unbelievably radioactive… all reasons to stay back and wait until I get-“ 

“This was in the fuel tank, wasn’t it?” 

“...yes…” 

“And it’s why we’re here to begin with?” 

“I-“

“All this secretive shit just to protect whatever the fuck this blue bullshit is?” Gradum barked angrily, “What’s so crazy about this shit that you can’t even imply its existence without blowing your cover? Must be some pretty special stuff…” He turned around and stared into the pool from a distance, letting its resonant chime lull him into a passive appreciation for the strange substance. 

“ _ Immortal temptation… _ ” The calming voice from the storm whispered enticingly in his mind.

“Caden…” Vima chastised, “Don’t ge-“ 

“‘Don’t get any on you.’ Sam…” He smirked and brought his voice down to a low whisper, “That’s all I needed to hear.” He shut down the comm and strode forward confidently, letting the sounds of the beckoning pit ease his nerves as he felt a small hand grab his arm. 

“What are you..?” Aleka called to him, barely able to slow him down at all. 

“Let me put this nicely, kid…” He hummed, “If this doesn’t pan out, you can have all my stuff.” He grabbed her by the collar and gently tossed her backward, landing her on her back with a grunt. 

The cold was nearly overwhelming at first, but he managed to push through until he finally neared the edge of the hole. He peered over the side, watching as the veins pulsed vividly, sending arcs of electricity bouncing across the talkative webbing. Each crystal implanted in the surface glimmered with purpose, with thousands of tiny streaks of white running up the length of the oblong structures as each pulse sounded off. The entire substance seemed so vibrant. Energetic. Alive. 

“ _ Magnificent. Brilliant. _ ” The voice exhaled soothingly, sending a chill from Gradum’s neck that spread across his entire body. 

A pained gasp came from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Aleka fall forward before desperately crawling the opposite way, shivering violently the whole way. 

“ _ How chivalrous. If she had more strength perhaps she could stop you. _ ” The voice tutted, “ _ But I suppose this is why children have no place in such dangerous situations, don’t you agree? _ ” 

As she reached safety once more, he returned his gaze to the pit, dropping down into a squat to get a closer look. He could see so much more now. The low humming that had accompanied the various ringing and popping sounds was not just a mere droning, but a rhythmic beating as well, flowing up and down in time with the shimmering of the azure liquid at the base of the pool. This was the final straw. He had to know what all of the warnings had been about. Even if it simply melted his flesh off the bone, it would be worth it. Just to know. To be enlightened. 

Gradum extended his hand slowly into the pit, causing the veins to chime more intently, growing in intensity with each second that passed. Just before he could touch the outermost crystal, a small wire suddenly appeared from out of view and wrapped around his forearm. Before he could fully process what had happened, he was torn violently from his footing by a massive pulling force and the sound of powerful jet thrusters filling the air. 

“No!” He roared as he looked up at his attacker, recognizing the familiar white and grey armored frame that was dragging him across the dirt, “Vima!” He grabbed the cord that had ensnared his arm and kicked himself upright, letting his boots scrape along the terrain so he could reach his sword. He pulled it from his back and ignited the blade and, once it was assembled, slashing it through the cord, taking several nearby tree trunks with it. Now free, he skidded to a halt and looked around the tree line for his brother. The very faint sound of jets once again sounded off from behind him, but this time he was ready for it. 

He whipped around quickly, but could only barely summon the solid-light shield from his gauntlet before he was sprayed with a hail of projectiles. Each shot was absorbed by the shield with ease, allowing Gradum to follow the source of the gunfire as Vima flew overhead, twisting his body in midair to prevent breaking his line of fire as he landed with a tremendous thud nearly 30 feet away. The barrels of his twin handguns smoked with anticipation as they stared down their target. 

“Stand down,” Vima growled, his voice deep and reverberant from his helmet’s synthesizer.

“Lethal force is permitted, huh?” Gradum snarked, “Damn, General must be real serious about this new fuel shit.”

“Stand down, Major Gradum.” Vima repeated, his voice clearly shaking, “Or I will open fire.”

“Mmmm!” He giggled mischievously, “You already did, but sounds like a plan to me! You want to please Daddio so bad, Vima? Let’s give him what he’s always wanted!” He lowered into a wide stance, brandishing his sword and shield with newfound motivation, ”One of us in a bag!” 


End file.
